Context and Intention in the Nigerian Army Parade Interaction

Abstract

This study investigates the role of context in the effective production and interpretation of intentions of addressors in Army’s parade interaction. Armed-Forces Remembrance Day parade of 2009, and Inter-Brigade parade competition of 2 Division Nigerian Army of 2010 constitute the data for the study. The study which is based on insight from Harnish and Bach’s (1979) Mutual Contextual beliefs and Akin Odebunmi’s (2006)  model of Contextual Beliefs reveals two main contextual features; they are Shared Knowledge of Signals, manifesting instrument-based sound, human based sound and body language indicating action; and Shared Knowledge of Professional Heroism, instantiating instrument based sound and reverent (narrated and verbalized). The paper concludes that these contextual features constitute various beliefs acted upon by soldiers for the production and effective interpretation of verbal exchange of parade talks among Nigerian soldiers, the sharing of which are capable of facilitating access to army parade interactions in Nigeria.