Abstract:
Worried by the high incidence of grammatical errors in the print media, this study set out, essentially, to: probe into the causes of the errors, determine their effects on the perception and behaviour of audience members and gauge the possible impact of the errors on the media themselves. Using the survey and content analytical methods of investigation, 150 subjects were purposively sampled from the population of final-year students of the Nsukka (main) campus of the University of Nigeria, to find out the effects of grammatical errors on newspaper readers. The newspapers, the Vanguard, The Post Express and The Punch were also sampled to content-analyse errors. The data gathered were analysed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. Weighted mean scores and percentages were used to answer the four research questions while the chi-square was applied to test the three null hypotheses. The findings showed that grammatical errors in the print media were caused by societal, personal and professional factors and that while errors constitute a nuisance to newspaper readers, the errors are detrimental to the media themselves. It was, therefore, recommended that standard English should be taught and used in the media; traditional grammar taught by well qualified teachers in Nigeria's educational institutions; grammarians employed in mass communication or journalism departments in tertiary institutions to teach the students from their first to their graduation year. A little more hard work, more thorough editing and proper proof-reading as well as a re-orientation of pressmen, were further recommended to keep grammatical errors in check.
