Department of Language and Communication Skills

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    Situating Language at the Centre of Journalism Training: The Case for Broadening the Spheres of English Teaching and Learning in Journalism Training Institutions in Ghana
    (Global Media Journal: African Edition, 2011-11) Fosu, Modestus
    This paper derives its impetus from the consensus today that the media play an indispensable role indemocratic governance for sustained development. The media foster, most importantly, accountability,transparency, rule of law, respect for human rights, and civic participation, which are vital in securing theeconomic well-being of a people. Language, as the main vehicle that drives communication or journalisticimperatives to the “consumer”, thus becomes a critical factor.The focus here is on the effective and appropriate use of English (Ghana’s official language) innewspapers in Ghana. It is argued that the majority of newspapers display linguistic ineptitude, therebyweakening their capacity to package and make development-oriented messages accessible to the reader.Specifically, the majority of newspapers present news in grammatically faulty and semantically confusingconstructions that blur meaning. Thus, through a comparative study of the English and English-relatedcourses in four journalism training institutions in Ghana and the English provisions in the latest UNESCOjournalism curricula for Africa (2007), the study shows that English competence appears to be taken forgranted in the training institutions.This paper therefore argues for journalism education in Ghana to focus on helping trainee journalists toacquire English language competency. A more worthwhile complement will be to de-emphasise the“core” journalism or media knowledge and skills students are made to focus all their attention on in theschools and rather emphasise English use and usage. The paper suggests a reorganisation of Englishstudies including institutional structure, curriculum and syllabus development, infrastructure, teaching,and learning methodology as ways of broadening English language pedagogy to produce the calibre ofjournalists who can really champion the democratic and developmental aspirations of Ghana and Africa.
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    Convergence, Citizens Engagement and Democratic Sustainability in Emerging Democracies: The Case of Ghana and Nigeria
    (Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, 2012-12) Fosu, Modestus; Ufuoma, Akpojivi
    In this era of globalisation, information accessibility is becoming more and more crucial to empower citizens in their political, economic and socio-cultural engagements. However, in emerging democracies there are certain factors, that is, economic, cultural and political, which are still hindering the vast majority of the population from being included in the media and democratic discourse. Nevertheless, a new phenomenon of communication convergence is evolving in emerging democracies like Ghana and Nigeria, which is providing platforms for wide citizen engagements in the political and social discourse in societies. Communication convergence here involves the interaction of radio, television, newspapers, mobile phones and audiences as participants at the same forum in the media sphere. This phenomenon has radically enhanced citizens’ participation in the democratic processes in Ghana and Nigeria respectively. Proceeding from a phenomenological perspective, this paper shall discuss the media convergence practices in Ghana and Nigeria in relation to political engagements as well as citizens engagements using case studies of a regular radio programme (Kokrokoo, on Peace FM) in Ghana and a regular TV programme (Sunrise Daily, on Channel TV) in Nigeria. The paper will argue that citizens’ engagements as a result of the convergence of the mass media are central to the survival of democracy in both countries if properly harnessed.
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    Media Convergence Practices and Production in Ghana And Nigeria: Implications for Democracy and Research in Africa
    (Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 2015-04) Fosu, Modestus; Ufuoma, Akpojivi
    In this era of globalization, information accessibility is becoming crucial to empower citizens in their political, economic and sociocultural engagements. In emerging democracies, economic, cultural and political factors have hindered and still hinder the vast majority of the population from inclusion in the media and democratic discourse. Nevertheless, a ‘new’ phenomenon of media convergence is evolving in emerging democracies like Ghana and Nigeria that appears to provide platforms for wide citizen participation in the political and social discourse. From a phenomenological and exploratory perspective, this paper presents an overview of the media convergence practices in newsrooms in Ghana and Nigeria and their potential impact on the countries’ democracy. The article, on the one hand, juxtaposes this new trend against the need for the media to play a crucial role in sustaining and developing democracy in such countries, and on the other hand it opens discussions and research enquiry into the practices and genre underlying such media productions.
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    A Linguistic Description of the Language of Ghanaian Newspapers: Implications for the Readability, Comprehensibility and Information Function of the Ghanaian Press
    (Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 2016-12) Fosu, Modestus
    This paper investigates the readability and comprehensibility of English language newspapers in Ghana. It attempts a structural description of the language of the newspapers to explore implications thereof regarding the information function of the Ghanaian press. The study employed a research design that triangulated methods and findings from corpus linguistics and readability studies using front-page stories of four influential national newspapers of the country. The research established that the language used to communicate socio-political news to readers is complex and could be potentially difficult for many readers. The significant implication is that the newspapers may be largely ineffective in transmitting information directly to a wide spectrum of readers for socio-political benefits. This could mean, importantly, that the press may not be performing its information function well. Consequently, the paper makes a case for the press to use relatively readable and comprehensible language to broaden direct access to newspaper messages in the country.
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    Linguistic Complexity and Second Language Advertising Audiences: Is There a Case for Linguistic Exclusion?
    (Journal of Communication Inquiry, 2017-10) Yeboah-Banin, Abena A.; Fosu, Modestus; Tsegah, Marian
    In many Anglophone developing countries, the language of most public service advertising is English, a language that is second rather than primary for audiences. Set in a dual-language context where English exists alongside several local languages, as means of interaction, this means that audiences must engage with messages in a language not necessarily preferred for conversation. In addition, messages are often carried on radio, a transient medium where meaning can be lost in the temporality of messages. This increases the task on audiences for processing messages, as the ability to understand most advertisements becomes contingent on their attainment of formal education. While this highlights the critical role of the English language in determining the effectiveness of public service advertisements among second language audiences, it remains understudied in media/communication scholarship. Using a textual analysis of two public service advertising campaigns in Ghana, the study unpacks the English used and examines the implications for audience comprehension.
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    Is there an Opportunity for Ethnic Journalism in Indigenous Language Broadcasting in Ghana? A Study of Fafaa Radio
    (Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2021-03) Fosu, Modestus; Ufuoma, Akpojivi
    This study broaches a conversation on ethnic media and journalism in Ghana by asking whether a case could be made for the practice of ethnic media/journalism, focusing on Fafaa Radio (Fafaa), a private commercial FM station in Dzodze, Ghana. The study occurs at the backdrop of apparent disquiet about the communication of ethnic or tribal matters in Africa’s public spaces because of its potential or evidenced-based implications for divisiveness and conflicts. Using indepth interviews with key purposively selected media practitioners of the station and document analysis, the study addresses issues relating to Fafaa as an ethnic media outlet. The study occurs within an interpretative analytical approach underpinned by sociological imagination and normative considerations about professionalism in local and national contexts. The finding is that whilst Fafaa largely fulfils the characteristics of ethnic media, it is debateable to say it practises ethnic journalism since the practices are almost analogous with the conceptualisation of community media by the regulatory body, the National Communication Authority (NCA). The analysis further suggests that the orientation of Fafaa as potentially ethnic, serving an Ewe community, influences the practices and professionalism of the station’s journalists. The study concludes that conceptualisation and education are needed to legitimise ethnic media.