Genre-based Discourse Analysis of Wedding Invitation Cards in Nigeria: A Comparison between Hausa and Igbo

Abstract

This Study offers an analysis of rhetorically functional text moves of the genre of written wedding invitation cards in Hausa and Igbo. There is scanty literature published on the genres of Nigerian wedding invitation cards. This study therefore attempts to explore the moves dominant in Hausa and Igbo’s wedding invitation cards. The study adopts Swales (1990) Genre Move Analysis theoretical framework which was developed by Dudley – Evans and St. John (1998). Qualitative descriptive approach was employed as a methodology of the study. 20 wedding invitation cards from two different cultures were collected and analysed. The findings revealed that the Hausa wedding invitation cards have seven moves four of which are mandatory while the Igbo’s has eight moves where three compulsory moves were identified. There are major differences in the non-linguistic differences between the cards. The study stressed that there is a need for more studies on genre across cultures in Nigeria.