Presupposition in Ghanaian and British Newspaper editorials

The paper explores presupposition and its triggers in Ghanaian and British newspaper editorials. Using a model proposed by Khaleel (2010:529) based on Karttunen (n.d.) and Yule (1996), the researcher analysed thirty (30) editorials from the Daily Guide (Ghanaian) and The Guardian (British) which were published in 2017. The analysis revealed some similarities and differences in the Ghanaian and British newspaper editorials. It was found that the frequently used trigger of the existential presupposition in both newspapers is the definite noun phrase. Again, it was found that the most used to trigger structural presupposition is the relative clause. The noticeable difference between the two is that in the Daily Guide, the structural presupposition is the most triggered (46.1%) whilst the existential presupposition (69.8%) is the most triggered in The Guardian

ANALYSING PRESUPPOSITION: A STUDY ON PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO’S STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS (SONA), 2022

Presupposition can be said to be an assumption of a speaker prior to making an utterance or an implied claim of an utterance. Using qualitative method, the researchers examined various language structures that give rise to presuppositions. This was pursued by exploring the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Akufo-Addo of Ghana on 30th March 2022. The analysis of the SONA, as the data of the study, revealed the utilization of a number of presupposition triggers – such as possessive construction, “one” construction, definite noun phrase, adverbial clause, relative clause, “even” construction, iteratives, change of state verbs, and factive verbs or phrases – under the existential, structural and lexical presuppositions. The article thus opines that the enactment of presuppositions, through the identified forms, affords the President the opportunity to disseminate his message with a higher degree of veracity on the conditions and happenings of the Ghanaian state

‘CHALE SUP’: MOTIVATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF PIDGIN ENGLISH USAGE IN A GHANAIAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The English language is used for official purposes and the language in education in Ghana. However, the continuous penetration of Pidgin English (PE) in Ghanaian Senior High Schools (SHS) has been evident in recent times. The paper focuses on the motivations and perceptions of students, in a Senior High School (SHS) in Ghana, on their use of PE in school. It adopts the various motivations and perceptions of students on the use of PE, as identified in the literature, in a questionnaire survey for the responses of the research participants. The study reveals that PE is used as a concealment strategy in students’ conversations against those outside their group, and as a means of solidarity. However, the participants exhibited mixed perceptions of the use of PE in schools. The paper provides insights into PE usage in Ghanaian SHSs

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways