A professor of English Language and the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Francisca Dora Edu-Buandoh has bemoaned the use of unparliamentary language in parliamentary discourse.
She said research indicates that the use of unparliamentary language in parliamentary discourse bothers on unsavory comments, tags, personal attacks, provocative language, insults, and labels.
Prof. Edu-Buandoh made this revelation while delivering her Inaugural lecture at the University of Cape Coast on the theme: Discourses of Our Time: Power, Norms of Language Use, and Identity Formation.
The former Pro-Vice Chancellor expresses that the use of unparliamentary language in Ghana’s parliament questions the integrity and credibility of the affected Members of parliament.
She mentioned that a study with a colleague in 2020 which is targeted at how Ghana’s parliamentarians use linguistics in their line of duty imputed intellectual weakness in their person, and “we also found untruth, deception, and criminality in their personalities.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Edu-Buandoh says the use of unparliamentary discourse in the current discourse is not only limited to the members of parliament but includes the speaker of parliament himself.
Speaking about the frail language of the House, she quoted the speaker referring to the parliamentarians as if they are in the market or chop bar which she described as a direct and unparliamentary reply.
“That is unparliamentary discourse in itself. But the speaker had to use unparliamentary discourse to caution unparliamentary discourse,” she added.
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Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
