Code-Switching in Contemporary Nigerian Hip
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University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CODE-SWITCHING IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN HIP HOP SONGS BY KUPONIYI ADERIYIKE OREOLUWA (10361991) THIS DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF M.A ENGLISH DEGREE. JULY 2013 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I, Kuponiyi Aderiyike Oreoluwa, do hereby declare that apart from the acknowledged references cited, this work is the result of my own research. It has neither been partly nor wholly submitted for the award of another degree elsewhere. CANDIDATE ……………………………… DATE………………………… KUPONIYI, ADERIYIKE OREOLUWA SUPERVISOR……………………………. DATE…………………………... PROFESSOR A.B.K. DADZIE SUPERVISOR……………………………... DATE……………………………. PROFESSOR KARI DAKO i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my late Mother, Mrs Olajide Ilori-Kuponiyi. ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I give all the glory to God Almighty. My sincere gratitude goes to my father, Professor F.A. Kuponiyi for his total and unwavering support. Thank you to all my siblings, for their love, support and prayers. Special appreciations go to my supervisor, Professor A. B. K Dadzie for his help, advice and guidance and also to Professor Kari Dako. Again I say thank you to Mr Kenneth Igiri for his prompt response each time I call on him for help and for making my first few months in Ghana comfortable and remarkable. Also I thank everyone that has in one way or the other contributed to the achievement of this work. God bless you all. iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT Most Nigerian hip hop artistes use a combination of English and one or more local language(s) in writing the lyrics of their songs. Over the years, this has become a common trait in the hip hop world. English is the official language in Nigeria, therefore, the base language of most Nigerian hip hop songs is English even as they introduce local expressions into the lyrics. This process can be described as code-switching in songs. It is also to be noted that pidgin is also a local language in this context. This work examines the nature of code switching found in these songs and the possible reasons behind them. It also focuses on how the artistes code-switch. If we look at Nigerian hip hop songs, we will notice that code-switching here involves English and one (or more) of the three major languages in Nigeria, which are Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo. However, the constant use of Yoruba by the artistes cannot go unnoticed. Thus, Yoruba appears to be the most frequently used among the Nigerian languages and indeed, the titles of some songs attest to this. Pidgin in most Nigerian hip hop songs is also common. In Nigeria, pidgin cuts across the country making it easy for all Nigerians from different tribes and background to communicate with each other. Hence, most artistes use pidgin as well in their song lyrics. iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents DECLARATION .................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .............................................................................. 2 1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY ................................................................................................... 3 1.4 HIP HOP CULTURE ...................................................................................................... 4 1.5 HIP HOP IN NIGERIA ................................................................................................... 6 1.6 CODE SWITCHING IN HIP HOP ................................................................................. 7 1.7 LIMITATATIONS ........................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................. 12 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 12 2.1 CODE-SWITCHING .................................................................................................... 12 2.2 BORROWING .............................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................. 20 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ........................................... 20 3.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................. 20 3.2 THE MARKEDNESS MODEL .................................................................................... 21 3.3 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 23 v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.3.1 Selecting the sample .............................................................................................. 23 3.3.2 Transcription ........................................................................................................... 24 3.3.3 Justification of the selected model .......................................................................... 24 3.4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE SELECTED ARTIST ......................... 25 3.4.1 D‟banj ..................................................................................................................... 25 3.4.2 9ice .......................................................................................................................... 26 3.4.3 P Square .................................................................................................................. 26 3.4.4 Wande Coal ............................................................................................................. 27 3.4.5 Tiwa Savage ............................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................... 28 DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 28 4.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE DATA .................................................. 28 4.2 SONG 1 ......................................................................................................................... 30 4.3 SONG 2 ......................................................................................................................... 36 4.4 SONG 3 ......................................................................................................................... 41 4.5 SONG 4 ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.6 SONG 5 ......................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................. 50 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 50 5.1 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS .......................................................................... 50 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................. 51 5.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 51 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 52 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................... 54 vi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION Hip hop music in Nigeria is a very popular brand of music which is heard practically in all parts of Nigeria and is both respected and appreciated by Nigerians, young and old. Nigerian hip hop artistes demonstrate a high level of creativity and inventiveness in the way they blend Nigerian languages with English. It is easily noticeable that one can hardly listen to any Nigerian hip hop song without noticing the artistes‟ creative use of one or more Nigerian language(s) or its pidgin variety. Although most Nigerian hip hop artists write their songs in English,