DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF CALL-IN CONVERSATIONAL TEXTS OF VERNACULAR RADIO STATIONS: THE CASE OF VUUKA FM

Abstract

This is a pragmatic study of call-in discourses in vernacular radio stations with a particular focus on Vuuka FM, a radio station that broadcasts in LulogooliThe research determined and detailed the language discourse methods used in Vuuka FM radio station call-in talks. During a three-month period (September, October, and November 2020), call-in talks on the Vuuka FM radio station revealed images of the socio-cultural reality of native speakers. This link between language usage and these portrayals was another goal of the research. Lastly, the research aimed to ascertain how the Vuuka FM radio station's call-in discussions portray power dynamics via language usage. The following goals served as the study's framework: to identify and characterize the linguistic discourse strategies used by callers in the Vuuka FM radio station's call-in conversations; to clarify the connection between language use and the portrayal of native speakers' socio-cultural realities in these conversations; and to ascertain the power dynamics that emerged in these call-in conversations. within the CDA theory. The study was guided by Fairclough’s (2001) Critical Discourse Analysis (C.D.A) approach whose tenets are the critical analysis of texts, in this case caller texts, in terms of their manifestations of power relations through their interpretations of discourse during call-in programmes. The study area was Vihiga County where some of the callers of Vuuka FM resided. Purposive sampling was employed. The study adopted a descriptive research design within the qualitative research paradigm. Text analysis and Focus Group Discussions were the main instruments of data collection. The call-in discourses were recorded, transcribed and translated after which the translated texts were analysed within the CDA. A total of 384 sessions from different radio programmes were targeted each of which ran between ten minutes to thirty minutes. A corpus of thirty sessions were purposively sampled, transcribed and translated for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that callers use linguistic strategies when addressing each other in call-in programmes. Secondly, the study showed that callers used language that depicted societal imbalance through the dominance of male talk and its resistance in women’s talk during conversations. Thirdly, callers express diverse ideologies in their speech based on the roles that are given to various social groups. The study's conclusions are useful in providing insights to researchers on the use of linguistic strategies used by callers, the manifestations of power in the discourse of callers, and the societal evaluations of the call-in discourses in Vuuka FM radio station. They are also useful among media practitioners and Lulogooli literacy indigenous programmes and language researchers.