Dialect Usage as a Means of Identity in Hausa Film Discourse

Abstract

This paper analyzes the aspect of language and identity in Hausa films. Language is often seen as a symbol of ethnic, national or regional identity. A dialect is a variety of a language that differs from others in terms of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation as they are forms of the same language. In most cases dialects are mutually intelligible. The use of a particular dialect by a speaker reveals his or her identity in terms of the speaker’s geographical location or social status. The paper studies the use of dialect in Hausa film discourse. It focuses on characters’ ways of communication in the Hausa films which reveal their identity. An ethnography research method is used to collect data and the social identity theory to analyze them. The paper identified four Hausa dialects used by the film characters to communicate and show their identity. These include Katsinanci, Sakkwatanci, Zazzaganci and Kananci. Also the result of the analysis shows that some film characters unconsciously use their dialect instead of Standard Hausa; which is the main variety normally used in film discourse. It also reveals that characters in Hausa films normally use their dialects when they are in emotional situations such as anger, disappointment or romance. In addition, the paper shows that some Hausa film characters do not conform to written scripts because of their low academic qualifications and old age.