Deviance in Collocation and Colligation Constraints in Nigerian Newspaper Editorials: A Lexical Priming Analysis

Abstract

Newspaper editorials occupy a pivotal position as authoritative texts that inform, persuade, and model linguistic standards. In Nigeria, however, editorial writing has been found to occasionally reflect inconsistencies in word combinations and syntactic structures. This has raised a lot of questions about their linguistic integrity. This study, therefore, x-rays the deviants in collocation and colligation constraints in Nigerian newspaper editorials. The study employs Michael Hoey’s Lexical Priming Theory to explain how writers’ lexical and structural choices are shaped by prior linguistic exposure and how deviations from established priming manifest in professional discourse.Qualitative research design is adopted. Samples are purposively chosen from Punch and Vanguard newspapers published between January and May 2025. The analysis focused on verb + noun and verb + preposition collocations, alongside syntactic constructions that breached colligational norms. Findings reveal that Nigerian newspaper editorials frequently deviate from collocation and colligation norms. This undermines clarity, impede logical flow, distort persuasive intent, and compromise editorial credibility. These deviations are attributed to mother-tongue interference, limited exposure to standard linguistic input, overreliance on technical lexis, and unconscious lexical priming. These lapses continue to infest non-standard language practices within academic and professional domains. Hence, this study advocates for enhanced editorial training, deliberate exposure to standard English usage, and heightened linguistic awareness to safeguard communicative precision, strengthen editorial credibility and enrich Nigerian newspapers’ contribution to scholarly and national discourse.