Code Mixing as a Sociolinguistic Medium in Some Selected Songs in the Nigerian Music Industry
Chapter One
AIMS ANDOBJECTIVES
This research is informed by questions arising from code-mixing in the lyrics of songs in the Nigerian music industry. This research focuses on some songs in which Yoruba language predominates in the Pidginize English medium used. This research attempts at discovering why the artistes code mix in their songs.
This study will examine the various reasons and motivations for code-mixing. This study will look at how the artistes have arrive at a communicative end via code-mixing and examines the success or otherwise of this trend.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Language is a major means of identifying a set of people, nation or country. Hornby (2001:667) defines language as the system of communication in speech and writing that is used by a people of a particular country. Crystal (1985:262) observes that of all the means of communication, language is the most frequently used and developed. Babatunde (2002:1) opines that the indispensability of language has been inexorably tied to the existence of man in the society. Language plays an important role in our lives. Sellers (1991) asserts that “language is intrinsic to the way we think, to the way we construct our groups and self identities, to the way we perceive the world and organize our social relationships and political systems”.
Daramola (2004) defines language as a patterned, social activity of human beings, displaying patterns of substance, (phonic and, at least potentially graphic), from {sic} (grammar and lexis) and context. Whitman (2007) cited in Fromkin et al (2007) asserts that
language is not an abstract construction of the learned or of dictionary-makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its basis broad and low close to the ground.
Without society, language cannot evolve. Language was borne out of the need for communication by humans. It serves as a cord binding together the fabrics of society; it is a binding force among various members of the society, hence, its social function.
SOCIO LINGUISTICS
Human beings are great travelers, traders and colonizers. The mythical tales of nearly all cultures tell tales of the trials and tribulations of travel and exploration, such as those of “Odysseus” (Ulysses) in Homer’s “Odyssey”. Surely, one of the tribulations of ranging outward from your house is sooner or later you will encounter people who do not speak your language, nor you theirs. In some parts of the world, you may not have to travel farther than next door to find the language disconnect, and in other parts you may have to cross the ocean. Because this situation is so common in human history and society, several solutions for bridging this communication gap have arisen, sociolinguistics being one.
Many scholars have discussed sociolinguistics and have come up with several definitions based on their individual perspectives. Hudson (2001:4) defines sociolinguistics as the study of language in relation to the society. It is the study of language as it affects and is being affected by social relations; it is also the study of language and linguistic behaviour as influenced by social and cultural factors. Holmes (2001) defines sociolinguistics as the way people use language in different contexts, the way people signal aspects of their social identity through language. Sociolinguistics is a scientific discipline developed from the co- operation of linguistics and sociology that investigates the social meaning of the language system and language use, and the common set of conditions of linguistic and social structure.
Fishman (1972:9) defines sociolinguistics as the study of the characteristics of language varieties, the characteristics of their functions, and the characteristics of their speakers as these three constantly interact, change and change one another within a speech community. Sociolinguistics is a term including all aspects of linguistics applied toward the connection between language and society, and the way we use language in different social situations. It is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including norms, expectations and contexts, on the way a language is used, and the effects of language on the society. It is the study of language in relation to social factors pertaining to the study of language in its social context. Sociolinguistics also studies how language varieties differ between groups separated by certain social variables like ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of education, age, etc.
Jaworski and Coupland (1997) submit that anything that either examines language in its social context or investigates social life through linguistics could be referred to as sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistics studies, and analyses language; its nature, characteristics as well as its structure in relation to the society where it functions. The focus of sociolinguistics is the effect of the society on the language.
CODE MIXING
A code is language, a variety or style of language. A code is a class specific language variation, especially for the different strategies of verbal planning. In communications, a code is a rule for converting a piece of information (for example, a letter, word or phrase) into another form or representation, not necessarily of the same sort.
Code mixing is the use of one language in another language, the mixing of two or more languages or language varieties in a speech. Hamers and Blanc (1989:35) say code mixing is the use of elements of one language in another language. It is the transition from using linguistic units (words, phrases, clauses, etc) of one language to using those of another within a single sentence. Code mixing refers to the mixing of various linguistic units (morphemes, words, modifiers, phrases, clauses and sentences) primarily from two participating grammatical systems within a sentence.
CHAPTER THREE
DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims to analyse randomly, the lyrics of the selected songs in the Nigerian music industry. The code mixed utterances will be analysed alongside the possible reasons and or motivations for code mixing.
DATUM ONE Omo ele ti mo ri o mystical Front e back e kotypical
Je a physical O digital
O nautical
‘Omo ele’ as used in the lyrics of this song means a beautiful young lady, ‘ti mo ri’ means that I see, ‘o’ means is, mystical. Hence, ‘Omo ele’ (the young beautiful lady) ti mo ri (that I see) o (is) mystical.
‘Front ẹ back ẹ ko typical’
‘ẹ’ a pronoun in Yoruba language anphorically refers to ‘omo ele’(the young beautiful lady), front, back, a more subtle way for saying “breasts” and “backside” (buttocks), ‘ko’, a negation in Yoruba language, i.e. her front (breasts), her back (buttocks) are not typical.
‘Je a physical’
‘Je’ means to be willing, ‘a’ means us. Physical means having a sexual relationship. Hence, the inference in ‘je a physical’ is let us get involved in a sexual relationship (reference to omo ele ‘the young beautiful lady’)
‘O digital’
‘O’, a pronoun (she) anaphorically refers to ‘omo ele’ (the young beautiful lady), digital means representing data as numbers. In the world of photography today, there is a transition from the use of analogue cameras to digital cameras. In the context of this song, digital has been given a new meaning. This process is called semantic shift which Adegbija (1989) asserts that words are used in the Nigerian context (Nigerian English) to have a meaning different from their dictionary meanings are said to have undergone semantic shift. Digital here is used to mean the young beautiful lady’s endowments (physical attributes).
CHAPTER FOUR
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
The first chapter is a general introduction to the whole work. Here, the background to the study, statement of the research problems, aims and objectives, delimitation and limitation, justification and methodology of this work are discussed. The second chapter reviews works that have been done in the field of sociolinguistics, code mixing, motivations for code mixing functions of code mixing and the views of renowned scholars on the perspectives of determining and investigating Nigerianisms.
The third chapter analyzes randomly selected utterances from the songs of artistes in the Nigerian music industry like the songs of Ikechukwu featuring D’banj titled Critical, eLDee’s Bosi Gbangba and Ota mi, Lord of Ajasa’s Le f’enu so, 9ice’s Wedding Day, Jah bless’ Jo o, Da grin’s Thank God, Lala,
Democracy and Ghetto Dreams using the available reasons and or motivations for code mixing applicable to each song. The fourth chapter sums up the whole work by stating the researcher’s findings in the course of the work and concluding the work as a whole.
FINDINGS
After critically examining the randomly selected songs in the Nigerian music industry, it has been found out that code mixed utterances could be motivated as a result of language gap, stylistic motivations, societal factors, domain, message intrinsic factors amidst other motivations. It has also been found out that some morphological processes like semantic shift, contraction and clipping are employed alongside the code mixed utterances.
Finally, it has been discovered that rhyming schemes are also achieved through code mixed utterances and cultural sets or beliefs could also be fused with code mixed utterances.
CONCLUSION
From the findings made in the course of this work, it is evident that code mixed utterances is triggered by some motivations, that the artistes have reached a communicative end via code mixing, that code mixing shows a language user’s dynamism and competence to creatively compose songs in order to fulfil their goals of satisfying and communicating with the pleasure-loving and pleasure- seeking audience.
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