Multimodal Code-pairing and Switching of Visual-verbal Texts in Selected Nigerian Stand-up Comedy Performance
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Date
2016-11-10
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Abstract
Scholars have often discussed the verbal form of code-switching involving different Nigerian languages and English from different perspectives; but the visual-verbal forms, involving a multimodal combination of different indigenous languages, paralinguistic features as well as costume, have enjoyed less attention. Visual-verbal texts are important means of conveying information and they are sometimes used by Nigerian stand-up comedians to elicit laughter during performances. Studies on stand-up comedy in Nigeria have also concentrated largely on monomodal verbal utterances, neglecting gestures/paralinguistic features. This study, therefore, examines multimodal pairing and switching of codes as features of visual-verbal texts and how they are used as strategies for eliciting laughter in Nigerian stand-up comedy. The study adopts Incongruity theory and Visual Semiotics as theoretical framework. Performances recorded in digital video discs (DVDs) and video clips of stand-up comedy performances downloaded from the Internet were selected through purposive random sampling method. Only those clips that involve the use of multimodal communication are randomly selected for the study. The stand-up comedians featured in the data spread across different cadres of stand-up comedians and across the major ethnic groups in Nigeria (Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo) and a few others. Hence, the data is considered representative of different categories of stand-up comedians in Nigeria. They were analysed through content analysis.
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Seminar
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code-switching, Nigerian languages, visual-verbal forms, multimodal combination