~ 81 ~ WWJMRD 2018; 4(11): 81-87 www.wwjmrd.com International Journal Peer Reviewed Journal Refereed Journal Indexed Journal Impact Factor MJIF: 4.25 E-ISSN: 2454-6615 Michael O. GBADEGESIN Obafeni Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria Correspondence: Michael O. GBADEGESIN Obafeni Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria Sociocultural Implications of Female Discourse Intonation in “Mr&Mrs” Michael O. GBADEGESIN Abstract This study examines the discourse intonation features that distinguish the females‟ voices from males‟ and their sociocultural implications. Discourse intonation attempts to explain how intonation patterns in English affect the communicative value of speech, through the use of falling and rising tunes along with changes in pitch (Mark Chapman 2007). Previous researches on discourse intonation paid attention to theory, pitch variations and its functions (Brazil 1994, Chun2002, Ibrahim and Faleke 2013, Raúl J.V. (2015). However, none of the many studies has been dedicated to studying the socio-cultural implications of female discourse intonation of Women in Nollywood film titled Mr & Mrs; hence the need for this study. This study will add to available corpus for phonological analysis, it will also throw light on the pattern of female intonation as means of seeking identity and expression in Nigerian society. This will be done by purposively selecting fifteen dialogues involving women in different context from Nollywood film –Mr& Mrs. this is with a view to examining the sociocultural implications of the discourse intonation patterns of women for the Nigerian society. Keywords: Female, Discourse Intonation, Sociocultural Implications, Nollywood Film Introduction Language is a form of social behavior that allows difference in issue relating to gender, tribal, social and occupational status; hence, no two speakers are exactly alike in their way of speaking Pan (2011). Some of the factors that shape the features of female language as well as discourse intonation include physiological, psychological, cultural, educational occupational and technological factors. Others include speaker‟s status, and conversational context. One of the criteria that differentiate female voice from male voice is pitch. Simpson (2009) observes that male‟s voice pitch, on the average is always low while that of female is high. Discourse intonation is the study of intonation from the point of view of the user, its contextual functions and its communicative value (Raúl J.V. 2015). Mr and Mrs is one of Nigerian English-medium film popularly called Nollywood -a coinage given to the Nigerian film industry. Lakoff R (2009) observes that Our use of language embodies attitudes as well as referential meanings. 'Woman's language' has as foundation the attitude that women are marginal to the serious concerns of life, which are pre-empted by men. The marginality and powerlessness of women is reflected in both the ways women are expected to speak, and the ways in which women are spoken of. In appropriate women's speech, strong expression of feeling is avoided, expression of uncertainty is favored, and means of expression in regard to subject-matter deemed 'trivial' to the 'real' world are elaborated. Speech about women implies an object, whose sexual nature requires euphemism, and whose social roles are derivative and dependent in relation to men. The personal identity of women thus is linguistically submerged; the language works against treatment of women, as serious persons with individual views. (pg45) According to Umukoro and Okwuowulu (2010:228) “African society is founded on a chauvinistic ideology which has not provided an enabling environment for the development World Wide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development