A Pragma-semiotic analysis of selected Anglican and Catholic Sermons in Awka
Abstract
This study investigates how meaning is constructed, negotiated and communicated in the Anglican and Catholic sermons in Awka through the lens of Pragmatics and semiotics. The study adopts qualitative and quantitative descriptive research designs with data sourced from two Catholic and one Anglican churches in Awka. The data, which consist of four audio recorded Sunday sermons from St. Andrews Anglican Church, NAU; St. Joseph the Worker, NAU; and Holy Family Youth Village, Amansea were analysed using Austin and Searle’s Speech Act theory as well as Peircean semiotics theory. The analysis shows how these semiotic resources are pragmatically deployed to construct meaning, foster congregational identity and enforce doctrinal points. The research reveals how preachers from these two prominent Christian traditions strategically employ linguistic signs and symbolic resources to achieve specific communicative, persuasive and theological goals within their unique cultural and denominational contexts. Findings from the study indicate significant similarities and differences between Anglican and Catholic sermons. While both churches leverage the shared cultural semiotic reserves of the Igbo world, differences emerge in structural formality, degree of congregational participation and prioritization of doctrinal versus exhortative messaging. The pragma-semiotic analysis of the selected Anglican and Catholic sermons showed representative speech acts predominate (85.48%), follow by the directives with 12.26%; then expressives has 1.61% and interrogate showing an imparity of 0.65%. Peircean analysis reveals a mixed strategy of symbolic authority (scripture, doctrinal assertions), indexical pointing (exempla, deictics), and iconic imagery (vivid mental prompts) that together translate belief into action. This research contributes to the fields of pragmatics, discourse analysis, religious communication and sociolinguistics by highlighting the ways faith is articulated and experienced in Awka.
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