COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LANGUAGE USE IN CHRISTIAN RELIGION

ABSTRACT

This study is an examination of the language of Christian religion with particular reference to the Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostal denominations. Chapter one embodies the introduction to the study, the objective of the work, its scope and delimitation, a brief origin of Christian religion, and that of the two denominations. Chapter two is a brief review of the related literature. Chapter three focuses on the theoretical framework and presentation of data. Chapter four brings out the features of the language of Christian religion; the lexical, grammatical, metaphorical, typographical and graphological features. Also, four further analyzed the sermons, rituals, liturgies and sacred text of the two denominations. The final chapter includes a comparative summary analysis of the two denominations, a brief conclusion of the work and recommendation. In carryout our findings, the study focused on Roman Catholic and five Pentecostal churches in Benin with emphasis on the differences and similarities in their language of worship. The observation method is used in gathering data during services of the selected churches coupled with basic linguistic theory. The findings of the study show that the sermon and teachings of the two denominations are the same. However, the difference found in the language use of the two denominations is that Pentecostals seems to be more rhetorical and informal in their language use, with regard to their worship, characterized by the spontaneous joyful noise of the worshippers. This study therefore recommends that the Christian religion is one regardless of the denominations and patterns of worship and should see themselves as one body in Christ Jesus. The study concludes therefore that religious utterances can be statements of belief, prayers of supplications, narratives with spiritual or moral messages and celebration of occasions.