English Usage and Implicit Audience Alignment in Digitally Mediated Sermons: The Case of Odumeje

Abstract

Our words are largely influenced by the people and things we listen to most. Thus, repeated exposure to specific language models often results in followers’ adoption of similar words and speech patterns. This influence extends to influential religious figures whose word choices shape the speech patterns of their followers. Accordingly, this study investigates the phonological, lexical, and grammatical features of Prophet Odumeje’s English and his virtual followers' responses in selected sermons on TikTok to infer implicit sociolinguistic alignment and tacit acceptance of this English use. In a qualitative-dominant mixed-method design, based on William Labov’s (1966, 1972) variationist framework and Henri Tajfel and John Turner’s (1979) Social Identity Theory (SIT), 8,202 identifiable linguistic occurrences from 32 recent clips with a total duration of 52 minutes and 41 seconds are purposively sampled. Findings reveal that Odumeje’s English exhibits patterned variation owing to social identity, communicative contexts, and stylistic choices. The study also found that most comments on Odumeje's sermons are positive and exceed those in other categories, implying followers' alignment and acceptance. Given the implications of these findings, the researcher recommends that English language learners understand that many influential figures may use substandard English forms that gain social acceptance, but this does not mean that such forms are grammatically standard.