A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF IMPOSTERS IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION AMONG IGBO SPEAKERS

Abstract

In communication, it is expected that a speaker should use the 1stperson pronoun forms such as ń ‘I’, ńmu ‘I’ and anyi ‘we’ when
referring to himself/herself. However, it has been observed that
speakers do not always follow this norm, as they sometimes use thirdperson pronouns and even nouns. Deviations of this kind are referred
to as Imposters. The study employs John Austin's Speech Act Theory
to explain the use of Imposters by Igbo speakers in interpersonal
communication. Data were elicited through primary and secondary
sources. Primary source of data collection includes the nonparticipant observation of people’s discourse in commercial buses,
churches and marketplaces. Secondary sources of data collection
include books and movies. The paper reveals that Imposters in
interpersonal communication serve to perform various
communicative functions. These functions include expressing
anonymity, advertising, attention seeking, and expression of selfimportance.