POSTCOLONIAL LITERATURE

ASSIGNMENT
Harshika Arora, ENG/21/25, SEMESTER-VI

Q- What is the significance of language in post colonial expression? Discuss with reference to any one
essay and one story.

“Language became an instrument of control and command, and anti- colonial resistance, therefore,
necessarily included as one of its dimensions resistance to the colonizer’s language. From a political
point of view, colonization meant the introduction of a new and alien cultural system into certain
territories that did not share the European worldview. Language was among the new elements that were
introduced.”

- Voice Of The Oppressed In The Language Of The Oppressor: Hybritdity In Postcolonial Literature by
Nivedita Basu

Language has long been regarded as "the shaper of ideas," in the words of Benjamin Lee Whorf. In 1929,
Edward Sapir suggested that one's worldview is determined by one's linguistic frame of reference, and
that the universe is ordered by the linguistic systems in our minds. English is becoming more and more
of a contentious global language. So, Robert Philipson's concept of "Linguistic Imperialism" as a
relationship between core English-speaking countries and periphery English-speaking countries in which,
as a result of the Centre's linguist policies, the English language displaced or replaced core languages at
the periphery appears to serve a limited explanatory function. Language is malleable and subject to
change. We will use Ama Ata Aidoo's “The Girl Who Can” and Robert Young's critique of “Colonialism
and the Politics of Postcolonial Critique” to examine the significance of language in a postcolonial setting
among the Ghananian or Mfantse culture.
The purposeful blending of their second language, English, and their mother tongue, Mfantse, can be
seen in Ama Ata Aidoo's writings. Her use of Mafantse idioms and prosody in her writing has allowed her
to refine her storytelling skills and produce a diverse body of work that effectively conveys the
complexities of her postcolonial subjectivity. When examining a writing style where authors place a
great deal of importance on language choice, the notion that language lives a socially charged life and
that words carry the circumstances of the life is appealing. Since Aidoo skillfully manipulates bilingualism
and multiple registers to make powerful statements about issues like social class and responsibility, the
question of ideology being reflected through language in the voice of both the author and his/her
characters seems to be a vital one. For example – “But if any female child decides to come into this
world with legs , then they might as will be the legs , said by Nana.”

When Adeola James interviews Aidoo in 1986, Aidoo herself previously boasted about her proficiency in
English and reiterates in the interview her satisfaction with her command of the language, albeit
without intending to speak the Queen’s English. She assures James that she has always aimed to
incorporate the essence of her African background, including idioms, into her speech. Aidoo
acknowledges the influence of two Ghanaian intellectuals, Kobina Sekyi and Efua Sutherland, on her
literary career, both of whom used the Mfantse language. "The Ghanaian Voice, A Ghanaian's
Statement: Language in Ama Ata Aidoo's Changes," by John Wiredu and Irene M. Danysh, delves into
Aidoo's linguistic prowess in terms of her adeptness at adapting the English language to her purposes.
She sets her writings in a Ghanaian milieu, allowing Ghanaian readers to easily recognize characters,
social norms, and cultural customs, while readers from other nations may perceive them simply as
African. Aidoo employs English and tailors it to suit the African context to achieve her success. Wiredu
and Danysh pinpoint the "Ghanaianness" of her language through categories such as "instances of
Ghanaian customs, traditions, and beliefs," "exclamatory expletives," "vocabulary items," and "direct
translations." For instance, in her text "The Girl Who Can," Aidoo uses words like "Maami" and "Nana"
to illustrate this cultural specificity.

Esi Sutherland-Addy's influential work, "Mfantse Meets English: Interpretations of Ama Ata Aidoo's
Multilingual Idiom," paid particular attention to Aidoo's language. She informs readers that in her
capacity as a native Mfantse speaker, she will reveal the several discourse layers that underlie Aidoo's
blend of English, Mfantse, and pidgin. She restates that Aidoo's re-representation replicates the
linguistic reality of her culture. Aidoo's work also includes many inherited terms that are unrelated to
the Ghanaian language, particularly those spoken in distant villages. In the case of Western readers,
Aidoo's usage of these linguistic strategies serves to reaffirm that, while writing in English for her novels
and short tales, she incorporates African vernacular idioms into her writing to give her characters
distinct African characteristics. Aidoo's use of what is termed as "Fanticised" language involves
incorporating Mfantse or Fanti idioms into her writing. She employs Ghanaian traditional artistic forms
and adapts them to the Western short story format. Sutherland-Addy highlights Aidoo's role in
developing an "African literary English," evolving from relexifying English to employing a distinctly
"Fanticised" English, and ultimately transitioning to writing directly in Mfantse. Through this process,
Aidoo remains faithful to the Mfantse women community, conveying their authentic voices to new
generations through her African narratives.

Simultaneously, Robert Young argues for the inclusion of culture in socio-political critique, asserting that
any intellectual examination of contemporary politics must also encompass cultural analysis. This
underscores the intrinsic relationship between postcolonial theory and Cultural Studies. Young
advocates for cultural politics, positing that the increasing cultural focus in politics and theory can enrich
politics by acknowledging people's subjective experiences in a nuanced, intersectional manner. This
approach, he suggests, complements traditional forms of knowledge rather than replacing them. This
dialogue between traditional and cultural modes of knowledge begins with the acknowledgment that
the power structures established by colonialism persist, albeit in modified forms.

In Ashcroft's view, postcolonial culture ultimately emerges as a hybridized phenomenon, characterized

by a complex interplay between grafted European cultural elements and indigenous ontology, which
seeks to establish or reestablish an autonomous local identity. The process of linguistic disintegration
was exacerbated by colonization and the simultaneous introduction of European writing systems.
Consequently, in numerous post-colonial societies, it wasn't solely the English language that exerted the
most significant influence, but rather the act of writing itself. Thus, Aidoo's work, "The Girl Who Can,"
serves as a pertinent example; although written in the language of the colonizers, it reflects her own
Mfantse culture in the Ghanaian region, contributing to the formation of their distinct cultural identity.
Acknowledging that achieving a completely decolonized state of mind may be unrealistic, it becomes
apparent that the colonial legacy persists in various ways within the postcolonial world.
Sources cited:

1. ‘Colonialism and the Politics of Postcolonial Critique’, in Postcolonialism: An Historical

Introduction Robert Young.

2. Mfantse Meets English: Interpretations of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Multilingual Idiom by Esi Sutherland
– Addy.

3. The Re-Presentation of Africa and the African in Anglophone West African Literature: Buchi
Emecheta and Ama Ata Aidoo Violetta Jojo Verge.

4. Voice of the Oppressed in the Language of the Oppressor: Hybridity in Postcolonial Literature
Nivedita Basu