Language and cultural creolisation in nigerian script texts

Abstract

This article deals with the peculiarities of script texts being a part of cinematography – one of modern art form. The scientific problem is determined by the trend towards globalisation of all contemporary art types, on the one hand, and the need to preserve cultural heritage, on the other hand. The aim of the work is to identify the characteristic features of Nigerian English script texts – phenomena created due to creolisation process defined as the process of British English adapting procedure to the realities of local languages and cultures. The Nigerian script text is a creolised type of text with characteristic of unique properties – the presence of detailed instructions in the form of author’s remarks which provide expanded information for subsequent stepwise actions for the director, actors, editors, makeup and costume designers; a double process of creolisation due to the necessary adaptation to numerous local languages and cultures. It is proved that Nigerian script texts, influenced by the process of creolisation, are largely subject to grammatical transformations. The most productive grammatical changes include: the consistent use of nouns and pronouns within the same semantic group; the simplification of the specific verb forms manifested in the use of simple forms and omission of auxiliary verbs in interrogative and negative sentences. High-frequency grammatical transformation processes in Nigerian script texts are explained by the influence of tribal languages and be needs of the Nigerians to preserve the heritage of local cultures.