ABSTRACT:

The Nollywood industry has become a subject of scholarship in a number of disciplines in the humanities in which various theoretical paradigms are explored (Ogunleye 2003, Adamu et al. 2004, Ugochukwu 2013). In this regard, one of the strongest criticisms levelled against Nollywood Studies is repetitiveness arising both from poor circulation or dissemination of published work and scholars‟ hesitation to acknowledge or refer to work previously done in this field. Hayne‟s review and annotated bibliography (2010) provides a detailed and critical overview of the literature on this burgeoning industry. With that criticism in mind, this paper moves in a totally new direction to explore Nollywood as a subject of sociolinguistic analysis and scholarship. It focuses on the use of styling and stylization to assign ownership and therefore ascribe identities to individuals and communities.