ABSTRACT

This paper examined the pragmatic roles that lexical choices play in understanding the communication between commercial motorists -taxi/bus drivers/conductors- and commuters in Lagos State, Nigeria. Using Jacob Mey's Pragmatic Act Theory, the study identified, categorised, and analysed commercial motorists' lexical choices and language use at various bus stops and motor parks in Lagos. One hundred and eight (108) lexical items were collected from recorded conversations between motorists and commuters. These lexical items were categorised into the following categoriality practs: Pre-boarding, Boarding, On-board, and Disembarking. Fifty-four (54) lexical items were randomly selected and transposed into writing for analysis. Adopting mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the sampled data were coded according to the number of practal functions identified in each categoriality pract, to follow the thread of a particular pract. Seventeen (17) practal functions, one from each categoriality practs,were randomly selected and analysed. On-board categoriality pract had eight (8) practal functions, which happened to be the highest, followed by Pre-boarding with five (5), Boarding with three (3), and Disembarking with one (1) practal function. Seven of the identified practal functions appeared under more than one categoriality practs, making the types of practal functions found in the study, ten. They are; informing, instructing, requesting, inquiring, urging, warning, appealing, felicitating, demanding, and complaining.The study revealed that the lexical choices, coinages, and linguistic extensions (shaperly, agbero, how far, one-chance) used by commercial motorists and passengers in Lagos are informed by the mixture of the indigenous language (Yoruba), Popular Nigerian English, and Pidgin English. The paper concludes that the pragmatic engagement of these choices displays the tact commercial motorists and passengers use in achieving effective communication among themselves.