Abstract
The linguistic analysis of sermons has in recent times attracted some attention in linguistic research. Notwithstanding, studies on language use in sermons have predominantly examined the style of individual preachers but with limited attention to linguistic resources on deontic modality. To fill this gap, the present study examines the linguistic resources employed in expressing deontic modality in selected Ghanaian Pente-Charismatic sermons. It is theoretically underpinned by the Register Theory propounded by Halliday (1989) and Biber and Conrad (2009). The study is a qualitative case study that purposively sampled twenty Pente-Charismatic sermons delivered by three Ghanaian preachers namely Apostle General Sam Korankye-Ankrah; Bishop Charles Agyin-Asare and Bishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams. The findings reveal that modal verbs are used to make declarations and admonish listeners on various Christian principles, lexical verbs are used dominantly in the form of action verbs to construe preachers as powerful people who instruct congregants on their Christian obligations while auxiliary verbs are used to support the main verbs to emphasise various actions in the sermons. Phrasal verbs, adverbs, and clauses on the other hand are insignificantly used to enable the preachers to convey their messages in plain language that would be understood by their audience. This paper extends the scholarship on register analysis of sermonic discourse by focusing attention on Pente-Charismatic sermons, a context underexplored in the literature. It also illustrates the communicative implications that underpin the use of various forms of deontic modality in sermonic discourse. The study therefore has implications for the register theory and studies on language use in sermonic discourse.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0056/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>
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