A stylistic analysis of the language of Kenyan dramedies

Abstract

This paper investigates the stylistic features, contexts and choices made in the language of Kenyan dramedies with specific focus on the interpersonall functions. One episode from each of two dramedies aired weekly on two different television stations in Kenya is purposively selected. The clause, the group and the word which are the entry conditions for the mood; person, comment and attitude, and lexical register respectively are studied to find out the choices made between the terms of the system. The findings reveal that the style of Kenyan dramedy is conversational, informal, has simple syntax, overt ungrammaticality, exaggerated mispronunciation, malapropism, register borrowing and register mixing among others and serves the purpose of entertaining, informing and educating.