Professor Chris Uchenna Agbedo, a leading sociolinguist and psycholinguist at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), opened the 255th inaugural lecture on the theme “WordMatters: Sociolinguistic Calculus as Praxis for Interrogating Linguistic Banditry and Banditisation of Nigeria” at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium and Theatre on campus.
During the lecture, Agbedo warned that many of Nigeria’s governance problems stem from a “crisis of meaning” and the manipulation of language. He argued that language is not merely descriptive but actively shapes social perceptions, distributes power and influences how citizens understand governance and public affairs.
To analyse this phenomenon, the professor introduced Sociolinguistic Calculus (SLC), a framework that examines how meanings shift across contexts and how language serves particular interests. He distinguished between “linguistic banditry” – the deliberate distortion of meaning to mislead – and “banditisation,” the process by which such practices become widespread, normalised and institutionalised.
Agbedo also presented several related theories, including the Sociolinguistic Liberation Thesis, Universal Appropriation Grammar (UAG) and Governance Optimality Theory (GOT), to explore the links between language, power, institutional choices and accountability.
Moving from diagnosis to remedy, the professor proposed Remedial Sociolinguistic Calculus (RSLC) as a means to restore clarity of meaning and challenge manipulation in public discourse. He unveiled the Krisagbedo Linguistic Engine (KLiEN), an AI‑enabled multilingual platform designed to identify, analyse and clarify linguistic manipulation without imposing censorship. Additionally, he highlighted Visual Pragmatics as an emerging field for studying how images, cartoons, memes and other visual materials convey meaning, ideology and power.
The lecture drew a large audience that included university management, academic and non‑teaching staff, students, government functionaries, traditional rulers and other prominent personalities. UNN Vice‑Chancellor Prof. Simon Ortuanya, represented by Deputy Vice‑Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Kamoru Usman, praised the event as a significant academic tradition that allows scholars to showcase research and advance intellectual discourse on societal issues.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
