Language Impediment and Polyglot Actors in Yoruba Native Film

Abstract

In the Yoruba Nollywood film industry, there is a crop of non-native actors who are fluent in their native language and also conversant in the Yoruba language. These actors fail to articulate the level of believability in indigenised Yoruba cultural films, due to the linguistic impediment of their native language in the required diction of cultural films. This paper refers to them as polyglots and discusses their inability to acculturate linguistically in culture-based films through characterisation, diction, gesticulations and socio-cultural nuances. This paper, therefore, explores the inadequacy of language delivery due to linguistic impediment of the native language of select polyglot actors in Yoruba Nollywood films as a hindrance to adequate interpretation of Yoruba language. Three non- native actors in native Yoruba films were studied, and their linguistic performances were content analysed in line with the impediment of their mother tongue. The paper adopts the Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura, which identifies the impact of language on the audience, and sees the actor as a part of models to either elevate or denigrate ethical values of language in society. The research is premised on Qualitative method of research in analysing the visual film materials to identify linguistic strength and deficiency of the Yoruba language in performance. Findings show that actors who underplay nativity through language undervalue linguistic appreciation of the audience, and also reduce the cultural values the films are meant to propagate.