Abstract
Language is a critical tool used in religious activities, such as sermons, to instill religious teachings and doctrines to the audience. The aim of this study is to discover how the linguistic tool is used by Christian religious leaders to influence how people view their existence and realities on earth. Data were collected from five sermons that were delivered by Nigerian pastors – E.A. Adeboye, David Oyedepo, Chris Oyakhilome, William F. Kumuyi and Paul Enenche. These sermons are analysed qualitatively through the lens of Halliday’s Modality Theory to identify the expressions that captured the speakers’ beliefs and perceptions of their viewers’ existence. Findings reveal seven conceptualisation of human existence in the sermons, which include the definition of the concept as a gift from God, and a product of spiritual investment. Human existence is also conceptualised as existing in dual forms, whereby the spiritual form is superior to the physical form. It is also shown that humans have certain levels of power despite having limitations and being under the control and authority of the supernatural. These perceptions were expressed with low, medium, and high degrees of modality but it is observed that the preachers made extensive use of probability and obligations to express certainty about the connection between the supernatural and human existence. The study concludes that modality enables the speakers to influence and persuade their audience to accept and adopt their ideologies about human existence.
Keywords: Human Existence, Modality,
Sermons, Persuasion
DOI: 10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.026
author/Dr. Rosemary E. Chiedu
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 2(1) | June 2026 |
