Examining lexical style in youth magazines in Kenya a case study of ZUQKA and pulse magazines

Abstract

This study sought to analyse lexical choice in Kenyan youth magazines that reflect and inform their identity. A Critical Discourse Analysis with a stylistic approach is the background under which the study has been carried out. The study contributed to the knowledge that language should be studied as a social tool used for communication. Additionally, the study supports the notion that, linguistics should be integrated into the everyday challenges of life and gives more insights into the role of language in shaping society.The theory provided the parameters under which the role of language in shaping youth identity in this study was carried out guided by its core principle that language changes according to context and situations. Primary data for the study comprised articles extracted from two main newspaper magazines which are the Zuqka and Pulse youth magazines in the Daily Nation and The Standard newspapers respectively. This study investigated eighteen articles that were written for the youth and by the youth. Lexical choice was found to be a major feature that informs the language used by the youth. Further, the study contributed to the knowledge that language shapes and is shaped by society.In view of theanalyzed data lexical style used by the youth as observed in clipping, lexical borrowing, word coinage portrays their identity. Consequently this study recommends further research on language and youth identity based on the graph logical level of language as well as other social group like language and women identity in media texts.