Localized Nuances of Linguistic Choices in Film: A Case Study of “Tahidi High” - a Kenyan Television Drama

Abstract

This treatise endeavors to examine the discourse of actors in Tahidi High - a Kenyan television drama – in order to demonstrate how use of language contributes to thematic allusions in the television drama. Language is a very critical component of fictional forms. Through the deliberate choice, patterning and arrangement of words, a film maker is able to convey his / her thoughts, feelings, attitude and intentions explicitly or implicitly. A text’s linguistic format is the sum total of all kinds of linguistic choices which according to Emmanuel Ngara (1982) are divisible into two subsets: (a) linguistic proper components and paralinguistic affective devices such as symbolism, myth, allusion and allegory. While, the latter are obviously not analyzable in terms of normal linguistic description, manipulation of linguistic proper constituents may also lead to meanings that transcend the denotative plane. In Tahidi High, various levels of communication are palpable. These rise above sheer choice of words to embrace a broader exalting and humanizing sense or the opposite – a diminishing and dehumanizing sense. Cognizant of the fact that to a significant extent teenage language springs from certain socio-cultural influences, this article attempts to interrogate the language that various students speak in the TV drama and the implications accruing there from.