Humanities Journal of University of Zakho

SYNTACTIC AND MULTIMODAL REPRESENTATION OF IDEOLOGY IN NIGERIAN ‘TINUBUNOMIC’ INTERNET MEMES

2026-05-13T06:37:14+00:00

Internet memes as principal semiotic practices through which internet users engage in political participation have been explored from varied dimensions. Despite the growing body of linguistic research, the memeification of Tinubunomics (a category of PIMs) on social media sites has received little or no attention in the literature. By implication, Tinubunomic meme discourse is largely unpopular among academic scholars, specifically linguists. This study is, therefore, a leadoff exploration on Tinubunomic discourse in linguistic scholarship which draws insights from Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) socio-semiotics, van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach to critical discourse studies and Neuendorf et al.’s (2014) multiple senses of humour (SOH). Thus, it investigates the syntactic and multimodal representation of ideology in Nigerian ‘Tinubunomic’ internet memes. To achieve this, the study identifies the linguistic and semiotic resources in the memes; explores the interplay between the linguistic elements and semiotic resources depicting participants in the memes; and illuminates the ideological meanings underlying the humour rhetoric. Data for this study consist of verbal-visual humorous internet memes that centre on Tinubunomics, and shared on Tiktok Lite, Whatspp, Instagram and Nairaland between June 2023 and June 2024. The study hypothesises that there is no significant relationship between the syntactic and multimodal features of Tinubunomic internet memes and the ideological positions they express about Tinubu economic policies. Findings unearthed that syntactic elements in the memes range from words, catchphrases to sentences; while images and colour were utilised as semiotic resources; both the syntactic elements and the visual elements worked together as multimodal ensembles to produce repetition, allusion, ironic sarcasm, name-calling, and foregrounding. Also, it was discovered that the memes presented Tinubunomics dark and disparaging humours that serve the ideological dual purposes of denigrating Tinubunomics as impoverishing economism while emphasising in positive terms Nigerians’ resilience in the face of oppression. Based on these findings, the hypothesis is hereby rejected. The study concluded that Tinubunomic meme strategically combines syntactic features and multimodal resources like satire and visual metaphor to construct and circulate competing ideologies that either legitimize or contest Tinubu’s economic policies. The study will be a rich addition to the expanding body of literature on the semiotic affordances of humour discourse in political internet memes.

A STYLO-LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF SELECTED E-NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ON PARRICIDAL VIOLENCE

2026-05-20T08:23:36+00:00

Scholarly research is awash with the examination of violence-related reports in newspapers to determine different psychological and sociological factors responsible for these crimes. However, violence relating to parricide from e-newspaper headlines remains one area which has scarcely been explored by scholars, especially from linguistic orientations. This study examined a stylo-linguistic analysis of selected e-newspaper headlines on parricide to unravel the linguistic choices employed by the writers to convey in-depth and subtle meanings. The theoretical framework adopted for the study is Halliday’s functional stylistics, which highlights the meeting point between language use and social meaning of texts, and also sees language as a coding method of constructing what is implied in a given text. Thirty-six e-news headlines on parricide between November 2022 and January 2023 were sampled from different online sources and were closely read to identify, classify and analyse, through a qualitative approach, the stylo-linguistic resources used by the news writers to communicate their intended messages. It was found from the corpus that the writers preponderantly made use of catchy hypotactic nominalization, prominent paratactic lexicalization, accusative and incriminating verbal elements, copious complex complementation and adversative adverbials to synthetically and systematically portray the ‘who’ (offenders/accomplices), the ‘whom’ (victims/casualties), the ‘how’ (weapons used), the ‘why’ (reason for/purpose of the crime) and the ‘what next’ (consequences/results of the heinous crimes).

POLICY OF THE KINGS UR III TOWARDS KURDISTAN (2113-2006 B.C)

2025-12-15T07:29:44+00:00

Kurdistan’s distinctive strategic location has historically made it a target for several ancient peoples looking to extend, seize its resources, enforce taxes on its residents, and control the vital commercial route that passes through it. The Third Dynasty of Ur was among the most outstanding, whose kings dedicated their capabilities and led repeated military campaigns into the Kurdistan regions. Despite the strong resistance that was shown by the Kurdish peoples and their regular rejection of the subjugation policies pursued by the Sumerian kings, cuneiform texts dating back to the Third Dynasty of Ur clearly indicate that some Kurdish groups and parts of Kurdistan were subject to their authority, and that this resulted in the imposition of taxes upon them.

HEALTH STATUS OF ERBIL GOVERNORATE 1885-1975

2026-01-27T06:05:51+00:00

Erbil's healthcare has gone through various stages and periods، each stage left its impact on the health situation، especially due to political events. Generally، during the Ottoman era، hospitals consisted of two small rooms in the municipality building and often lacked a physician. However، during the British occupation، some minor changes occurred، with army officer-doctors treating patients، though their main objective was to prevent the spread of diseases to protect their own soldiers. After the establishment of the Iraqi government، the Ministry of Health، and the College of Medicine were established and brought about some changes، but they were by no means sufficient or met the demands of the population. Throughout the monarchy of Iraq، the health condition was poor، and it was even worse in districts، sub-districts، and villages. At the beginning of the July 14th، 1958 revolution، some changes occurred، and the health situation improved compared to previous stages. However، political events such as military coups and the emergence of the September 1961 revolution in Kurdistan impacted all aspects of life، especially healthcare. All these factors together had a significant impact on the health condition. This led to the healthcare sector in Erbil not developing adequately in terms of facilities، number of hospitals، health centers، doctors، and staff، failing to keep pace with the city's expansion and populationgrowth. The scarcity of allocated budgets was another factor contributing to this situation.

HYBRIDITY IN ALVAREZ’S AND SANTIAGO’S LITERATURE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SELF-IDENTIFICATION

2026-02-04T08:36:15+00:00

This article elaborates on how hybridity is experienced and narrated under the conditions of exile through a critical engagement with Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991) and Esmeralda Santiago’s When I Was Puerto Rican (1993). The research rationale derives from the fact that although hybridity has often been theorised in postcolonial studies as a space of cultural negotiation and creative possibility, it has mostly been treated in abstract or celebratory terms that tend to ignore its lived, embodied, and gendered dimensions. Hence, the problem addressed is the tension between the theoretical representations of hybridity, as fluid and empowering, and its literary representation as a condition marked by loss, alienation, and vulnerability. In this regard, the aim is to re-conceptualise hybridity as a contradictory and painful process defined by linguistic displacement, memory struggles, gendered hierarchies, and colonial imbalances. Drawing on postcolonial theory and feminist critique, attention is paid to how the main characters in both novels live in in-between spaces where their identities are continuously negotiated between their homelands and hostlands, past and present, belonging and exclusion. Based on this framework of analysis, the research questions posed are the following: i) how is hybridity represented as a lived experience of exile in Alvarez’s and Santiago’s narratives?; ii) in what ways do language, memory, gender shape the formation of hybrid identities in these texts?; iii) how does hybridity function both as a resource for survival and a source of vulnerability within diasporic contexts? The argument made is that hybridity in these novels constitutes an embodied struggle characterised by ambivalence, fragmentation and a sense of loss as the characters seek to create a stable sense of being through unequal power relations. Overall, the contribution of this article is that it reframes hybridity as a lived condition of tension and resilience, thus challenging theoretical approaches that reduce it to an abstract or purely emancipatory concept, therefore ignoring its contested nature.

THE ASSYRIANS IN THE ANFAL OF BAHDINAN OF 1988: A HISTORICAL STUDY

2026-02-08T09:28:52+00:00

Assyrians are one of the most suffering communities in Iraq. Since the formation of modern Iraq, all governments have adopted horrific policies against them, on the one hand. The Anfal campaign was one of the worst policies pursued by Iraqi governments against the Kurdish community, including the Assyrians, on the other hand, because they are part of this region. During this campaign, the most brutal methods and dangerous weapons were used against them. With the beginning of the eighth campaign, which marked the end of the Anfal campaign, Assyrian villages were also destroyed, forcing thousands to migrate to Turkey and Iran, leaving behind everything they owned to save their lives. Some villages were unable to reach the border, and their residents fell into the hands of the Iraqi army. Others were able to cross into Turkey, where they received promises of general amnesty, which ultimately did not include them, which was considered a betrayal. To this day, the fate of many of them remains unknown, and no trace of their remains has been found. The importance of this study lies in its exposure of the policies of the Iraqi government towards the Assyrians since 1921, through the Simele tragedy, and especially after the Ba'athists came to power. This includes the Anfal campaign of 1988, considered the most heinous Iraqi policy towards the Assyrians, and the effects of this campaign on the Assyrians, both psychologically and humanly. On this basis, this study attempts to answer several questions, including: What were the policies of the Iraqi government against the Assyrians? How was the Assyrian minority affected by the Anfal campaign of 1988? What was the nature of the policies practiced by the Iraqi government against them within this campaign? What impact did it have on the Assyrian presence in Iraqi Kurdistan? Did the general amnesty include the Assyrians? This study attempts to answer other questions, relying on various sources, including interviews with the families of Anfal victims.

EVALUATING THE SUITABILITY OF THE CUTTING EDGE ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOK FOR FIRST-YEAR SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES STUDENTS AT DUHOK UNIVERSITY

2026-02-12T09:42:30+00:00

This study investigates the appropriateness of the Cutting Edge Elementary textbook for first-year university students across different academic disciplines at the University of Duhok. The research aims to evaluate whether the textbook offers appropriate linguistic challenge and content alignment for students in both Science and Humanities departments. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was employed, involving pre- and post-test comparisons of 300 students from eight non-English departments: Dentistry, Architecture, Physics, Financial and Banking (Science stream), and History, Kurdish, Special Education, Administration and Business (Humanities stream). All students used the same textbook over the course of two semesters. The results reveal that while both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement, Humanities students achieved greater gains in overall language proficiency, particularly in grammar, reading, and writing. In contrast, Science students, many of whom began with higher proficiency, showed minimal or negative changes, especially in vocabulary and listening. Notably, students in Dentistry and Architecture often scored full marks on both tests, indicating a ceiling effect, while students in Physics and Financial and Banking showed regressions in some areas. These findings suggest that the textbook better supports the linguistic and academic needs of Humanities students, but it lacks relevance and challenge for Science students. The study concludes that a one-size-fits-all textbook policy is inadequate and recommends more discipline-sensitive textbook selection to ensure effective language instruction across diverse academic fields.

SYNTACTIC ANALYSIS OF EMPTY CATEGORIES: TRACE THEORY

2026-02-25T05:54:33+00:00

This study conducts a detailed investigation into the nature and function of Empty Categories within the framework of Generative Grammar, with a specific focus on Trace Theory during WH-movement. The thesis is grounded in the theoretical premise that when a grammatical element moves from the Deep Structure to a new position in the Surface Structure, its original position does not remain entirely void; rather, it leaves behind a silent, phonetically null element known as a trace (t). The research analyzes how this empty category functions as a syntactic bridge, maintaining the movement chain and ensuring the transmission of Theta-roles from the verb to the moved element. Without this mechanism, the connection between sound and meaning would be severed. Furthermore, the study discusses the strict constraints imposed on the distribution of these hidden elements, particularly under the Empty Category Principle (ECP), which dictates that a trace must be properly governed to be grammatically valid. Additionally, empirical evidence, such as Wanna-contraction, is presented to demonstrate that empty categories, despite lacking phonetic content, act as active syntactic barriers. Ultimately, the study concludes that empty categories are not merely analytical tools but are integral components of human Linguistic Competence, reflecting the complexity of the mental language faculty.

KURDISTAN MUKRIYANI: HER INTELLECTUAL LIFE AND ROLE IN THE KURDISTAN WOMEN'S UNION

2026-03-08T08:36:28+00:00

This research sheds light on the career and life of the pioneering figure (Kurdistan Mukriyani), reviewing her intellectual contributions, and prominent role within the Kurdistan Women's Union organization. Mukriyani is considered as a distinguished figure in the Kurdish cultural sphere, her upbringing in an educated and patriotic family profoundly influenced her career. She was a pioneer of her time, being the first woman to obtain a (PhD) in Philology from a foreign university. In addition to her academic achievements, she played a significant role in journalism and media, and participated in national activities and public speaking from an early age. The research covers several key pillars: linguistic and literary legacy: Her profound impact on the Kurdish language and its dialects, alongside her contributions as a writer and poet. She notably served as the head of the first Kurdish Academy of Science. Organizational Struggle: Her dedication to women's rights through her research and books, as well as her leadership as the Secretary of the Kurdistan Women's Union for three years, where she focused on the intellectual empowerment of Kurdish women. Literacy Campaign: Her strategic initiative to establish literacy centers within organizational work, which benefited a large number of women across all provinces of the Kurdistan Region. The study concludes that Kurdistan Mukriyani recorded a rich history characterized by scientific excellence, cultural influence, and a dedicated organizational struggle for social progress.

THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE PLUNDERING OF KASSITE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CARAVANS (1595-1167 BCE) IN LIGHT OF ROYAL TEXTS

2026-04-20T10:24:31+00:00

This study attempts to shed light on an important aspect of economic life during the Kassite period: trade. Trade received considerable attention from the Kassite kings, as did other economic aspects. Among these was the monitoring and supervision of foreign trade, ensuring the protection of trade routes as they moved between commercial centers from raids by nomadic tribes who habitually plundered and looted, particularly along the trade routes in the Levant. To this end, the Kassite kings exchanged numerous royal letters with the political powers that controlled international trade routes, seeking protection for their trade. They also concluded political treaties with these powers to guarantee the continuity of trade and economic stability. These letters contained various political stances, some positive and others negative.