Topic shading in an unplanned Igbo discourse

Abstract

This paper looks at the strategies employed by speakers in Topic Shading in an unplanned Igbo discourse. The results of an investigation involving some Igbo adult students might lead us to infer that individuals shade topics for various reasons and that conversational rules may not be as obligatorily governed as those of grammar. Shading strategies might depend on culture and context. A cross-linguistic study of planned and unplanned discourses might help not only in developing more appropriate and specific conversational maxims, but will also be helpful in determining how strategies of conversational interaction could be integrated into other aspects of speakers' linguistic knowledge and culture.