By
Okoye, Raphael Ikechukwu, Ph.D.
Department of General Studies
Federal University of Agriculture, Mubi
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7656-0095
okoyeagaraph@gmail.com
Abstract
This study investigates the use of substitution as a
cohesive grammatical device in selected texts of HIV/AIDS magazines, to examine
its textual impact and communicative effectiveness in medical magazine
discourse. Rooted in Bloor and Bloor's (2004) adaptation of Halliday and
Hasan’s 1976 model of cohesion, the study situates substitution within the
broader discourse of medical communication.
While it is assumed that medical writers put together different
sentences, clauses and other expressions without paying adequate attention to
cohesive language requirements and the interconnectedness of structures that
bring about cohesion to the text, this study investigates the use of
substitution in selected HIV texts. Despite its potential to reduce redundancy
and enhance conciseness, substitution remains underutilized in HIV/AIDS
publications. Through a qualitative textual analysis of purposively selected
clauses from magazines sourced from the National Agency for the Control of Aids
(NACA) and Kaduna State Agency for the Control of Aids (KADSACA), the research
identifies nominal and clausal substitutions as the primary types employed,
while verbal substitution is entirely absent. Comparing substitution to other
grammatical cohesive techniques such as conjunction and reference, the analysis
shows that it happens infrequently. Findings suggest that although substitution
is scarcely used in the analysed text, it enhances connectivity and the
interpretation of the medical discourse, such as that of HIV/AIDS. Nonetheless,
when employed, substitution aids in maintaining textual unity, avoiding
repetition, and enhancing readability. The paper concludes that while
substitution averagely textualizes and contributes to cohesion in HIV/AIDS
magazine discourse, its minimal deployment underscores a reliance on more
explicit grammatical cohesive strategies.
Keywords: Substitution, grammatical cohesive devices, HIV/AIDS Publications, Functional Linguistics, Cohesion
DOI: www.doi.org/10.57233/tjllc.2026.v05i03.005
author/Okoye, Raphael Ikechukwu
journal/Tasambo JLLC 5(3) | February 2026 |
