Unusual Syllabification Among Nollywood Actors: A Perceptual Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the unusual syllabification among the Nollywood actors in their use of English while acting in various movies. The main purpose is to examine the cause of unusual syllabification that is usually observed among Nollywood actors. To carry out this analysis, a case study approach was used in the study and data were collected through playing and watching the movies. Attention was paid to unusual syllabification of words of different syllables by some actors. These words were jotted down and later analyzed by comparing them with actual syllabification using Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English which acts as the control. The theoretical framework used for the study is prominence/Sonority Theory with special emphasy on Sonority Sequencing Principles (SSP). Our finding revealed that there are instances of unusual syllabification of words by Nollywood actors.

Keywords: Nollywood, Prominence Theory, Syllables, Syllabification.

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/77-08

Publication date:March 31^st 2021