Abstract
Existing studies on comedies in Nigeria have focused mainly on stand-up comedy, with little attention devoted to situation comedies. This study, therefore, investigates the pragmatic acts that are used to reflect inherent societal issues revealed under the guise of humour in a Nigerian sitcom, Jenifa’s Diary. Drawing excerpts purposively sampled from the first three seasons of the sitcom and subjecting them to the analytical tools of Jacob Mey’s pragmatic acts and Meyer’s functions of humour, the study shows the discourse functions of social and moral consciousness which address issues of incivility, domestic violence, poor etiquette, lying and indecent dressing. These discourse functions are achieved through the practs of warning, informing, enculturating and advising, and the communication functions named enforcement and differentiation. The study concludes that sitcoms are not just scripted to amuse viewers but also to address the state of the nations where they are set.
Highlights
Situation comedy is one of the several types of television comedies; other forms being sketch shows, stand-up broadcasts, and adult-oriented animation programmes (Creeber 2001)
Esan (2005: 6) argues that sitcoms bring to the fore social challenges which may otherwise be invisible, but no less consequential when the cumulative impact on the society is considered which makes it factual that sitcoms are important in the consideration and maintenance of the collective consciousness that informs the individual and social aspirations
This study has investigated the pragmatic and rhetorical functions of characters’ utterances in Jenifa’s Diary
Summary
Situation comedy (sitcom) is one of the several types of television comedies; other forms being sketch shows, stand-up broadcasts, and adult-oriented animation programmes (Creeber 2001). Beyond its primary purpose of amusement, sitcoms serve as veritable tools for addressing societal issues in any society This is because they help to form habits and shape behavioural patterns and are used to make impact on the minds of the viewers. The known studies on sitcoms in Nigeria have been carried out from the communication (Onusi 2011; Azeez and Doghudje 2015) and sociological (Esan 1993; 2005) perspectives with very few studies focusing on language use in characters’ interactions Such studies within the ambit of applied linguistics have mainly considered the humorous potential of verbal and nonverbal behaviours in the series (Bamgbose 2019), identity construction in a Nigerian sitcom (Olaogun 2017) and discursive patterns in a Nigerian sitcom (Palmer 2019), glossing over the potentiality of sitcoms in addressing the Nigerian reality. What communication functions/strategies are found in the selected series in Jenifa’s
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
