http://41.74.91.244:8080/handle/123456789/636 2026-04-08T11:35:13Z http://41.74.91.244:8080/handle/123456789/5178 A pragmatic analysis of Akan disclaimers Donkoh, E. In Akan tradition, it is culturally unacceptable to make emphatic pronunciations without recourse to face. To prevent any miscommunication, interlocutors use disclaimers as linguistic strategies to avoid being held accountable for utterances they produce. This study examined Akan disclaimers using the politeness theory and the language socialization theory. An ethnographic design by means of a qualitative approach was employed to gather data from three different Akan communities using purposive sampling technique. Through recordings of social events, roleplay, and interviews, the categories of Akan disclaimers were identified. The results revealed two categories of disclaimers, that is disclaimers used according to form (status bound, apologetic, proverbial, hedging and negation) and disclaimers with regard to placement (prospective, retrospective, successive, and distributive). Functions such as mitigating face threat, emotional regulation, politeness, clarification of intent, communicative competence, navigating taboos among others were revealed. Also, disclaimers reflect Akan socio-cultural values such as conflict resolution, cultural transmission, establishing harmonious relationships and cultural identity. The study deepens understanding of how disclaimers function as politeness strategies in Akan, enriching pragmatic and sociolinguistic theory. To conclude, this study has demonstrated how disclaimers serve as tactical instruments to support interpersonal connections and preserve social peace in addition to reducing the likelihood of offending. A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Applied Linguistics) 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z http://41.74.91.244:8080/handle/123456789/5176 Transitivity analysis of selected poems of Atukwei Okai Gyasi, A Poetry, with its compressed and figurative language, challenges readers to actively engage in interpretation, particularly with regard to how language reflects the worldviews of the poet. This study is rooted in the understanding that language encodes experiential meaning and conveys ideologies, which can be uncovered through a detailed analysis of linguistic elements such as processes, participants, and circumstances. The study analyses the Transitivity system in selected poems by Atukwei Okai through the lens of Halliday and Matthiessen’s Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). It examines the process types, their participants, and their distribution in the poems. By analyzing the poet’s linguistic choices, the study reveals the intersection of grammar and ideology, demonstrating how these elements shape thematic concerns and characterizations. The findings reveal that material processes are the most frequent processes followed by mental, relational, behavioural and existential processes in that order. In terms of the types of processes present in each poem, “The Pioneer” and “Walewale Chorus” do not have behavioural processes. On the contrary, “The Oath of the Fontomfrom” has all the six process types. There is a correlation between the length of the poems and the number of clauses in them. The ‘Oath of the Fontomfrom’ with the highest number of words (669) and sentences, has the highest number of processes (82). The ‘The Pioneer’ on the other hand, which has the least number of words (487) and sentences, records the least number of the processes (56). Also, the subjects addressed in the poems contributes to the to the differences in the process types. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of how transitivity functions in African poetry and highlights the importance of language structures in uncovering implicit worldviews in literary texts. These linguistic choices not only shape the thematic concerns of the poems but also offer insights into the poet’s representation of reality and his personal worldview. A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION, FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES EDUCATION, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD OF THE MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN ENGLISH. September, 2025 2025-09-01T00:00:00Z http://41.74.91.244:8080/handle/123456789/5171 Online self-presentation of religious organisations- A study of two selected Pentecostal Churches in Ghana Abeka-Daniels, M. This study investigates self-presentation strategies of two prominent Pentecostal churches in Ghana, The Church of Pentecost (COP) and The Assemblies of God Church (AG) on Facebook. Employing self-presentation theory, the research sought to uncover how these churches used social media to project their religious identity and the motivations behind their online portrayals. Through qualitative content analysis and interviews with social media administrators, the research identified key themes such as evangelism, leadership, altruism, and social influence, as underpinnings of the selected churches' self-presentation strategies. The findings also revealed that both churches actively engage in promoting themselves as evangelistic consortia, leadership-centric entities, and socially influential organisations. By exploring these churches' strategic use of social media to enhance visibility, manage reputation, and establish thought leadership, this research contributes to the discourse on religious identity management and public relations in the digital era. The findings highlighted that these churches use Facebook to reinforce their organisational values, engage audiences, and adapt to contemporary communication trends, thereby filling a gap in literature on African religious organisations’ self-presentation in online spaces. The study recommended that the two churches increased their interaction with followers as well as refine their use of visual content. The study suggested that future studies should include other social media platforms to broaden understanding of how religious organisations in Ghana use digital platforms to manage identity, engage diverse audiences, and reinforce their influence within contemporary social and cultural framewo A thesis in the department of Strategic Communication, School of Communication and Media Studies, submitted to the school of graduate studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of degree of Master of Philosophy (Strategic Communication) in the University of Education, Winneba OCTOBER, 2024 2024-10-01T00:00:00Z http://41.74.91.244:8080/handle/123456789/5130 Experiences of male kindergarten teachers about their profession in the Nanton District Owusu, I.A. A Dissertation submitted in the Department of Development Communication, School of Communication and Media Studies, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment. of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy (Development Communication) in the University of Education,Winneba May, 2024 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z