Linguistic Forms and Functions of Engligbo in Selected Nollywood films

Abstract

This paper is a study of the linguistic forms and functions of Engligbo in selected Nollywood films. Artistes’ choice of a language is far from being incidental, superficial or supplementary. Their choice shows how their ideas are embodied in the code (functionality of language). Engligbo is employed by speakers for various purposes in different domains. Unfortunately, it is mostly regarded as a, “low form†of language which have no much value and should not be taken seriously. This situation created the need for this paper to explore the linguistic forms and functions of Engligbo in Nollywood films with the aim of identifying the different forms and functions of the code in the film industry and to disprove the fact that Engligbo is an inferior language. Eighteen extracts from Nollywood films (What a Bride Price, The Billionare Brothers, Bullion Van and Ezekwueche) were sourced from YouTube channel. Data were transcribed and analysed using Markedness Theory by Myers-Scotton. The findings show that Engligbo was realized as intersentential switching (code-switch), intrasentential switching (code-mix) and intraword switching. Engligbo was used as a tool to express the following: proverb, incantation, honorifics, euphemism, filling of lexical gaps, emphasis, word economy, untranslatability, expression of emotion – deep anger and slang. The results from this study imply that Engligbo is functionally used by Nigerian artistes as a unique code for the expression of the Nigerian ideology and style.