“Proverbs are the Wisdom of the Streets”: A Pragma-Stylistic Analysis of Proverbs in Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys Movie Franchise

Abstract

Various genres of literature within the African context have over the years portrayed and highlighted African cultures and traditions. One effective tool that has been used in the full realization of this has been the use of proverbs. The present study set out to examine how proverbs are used in Kemi Adetiba’s popular movie franchise, King of Boys, from the pragma-stylistic perspective. The paper opines that proverbs are not used arbitrarily by screenwriters, but are specifically used, through various figures of speech, to offer caution, warning or advice, assert one’s authority and power, and show one’s intent to achieve a goal. This study extends knowledge in the study of proverbs and presents language use in movies as a rich avenue in the promotion of knowledge in African societies. Keywords: Proverb, Pragmatics, Stylistics, Pragma-stylistics.