Linguistic Dynamics and the Legacy of Chinua Achebe

Linguistic Challenges in Postcolonial Literature

Language became a significant concern for postcolonial writers. While the use of English as a literary medium was the most obvious choice, different countries faced unique linguistic situations. Postcolonial societies are generally categorized as follows:

• Monoglossic: Single-language societies using English as a native tongue, typically corresponding to settled colonies such as New Zealand and Australia.
• Diglossic: Bilingual societies, including India, Africa, and Canada. In these regions, English serves as the language of power, government, and commerce. Indigenous peoples, such as the Māori, Native Canadians, and Aborigines, also operate within a diglossic framework.
• Polyglossic: Primarily found in the Caribbean, where Standard English coexists with a multitude of dialects spoken along a generally comprehensible linguistic continuum.

When faced with the challenge of selecting a language for their work, postcolonial writers generally chose English—the colonizer's language—as it provided the most effective means to secure publication and reach a global audience.

An Early Postcolonial Author: Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe was a poet and novelist, recognized as one of the most important African writers and an original literary artist writing in English.

Born Albert Chinualumogo Achebe, he was raised by Christian evangelical parents in the village of Ogidi, in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria. He received an early education in English but grew up surrounded by a complex fusion of Igbo traditions and colonial legacy. He studied literature and medicine at the University of Ibadan. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service and later moved to Lagos.

Achebe gained worldwide attention for his first novel, Things Fall Apart, in the late 1950s. It has been translated into at least forty-five languages and has sold over eight million copies worldwide.

Major Works and Literary Contributions

His later novels include:

• No Longer at Ease (1960)
• Arrow of God (1964)
• A Man of the People (1966)
• Anthills of the Savannah (1987)

Achebe wrote his novels in English and defended the use of the "language of the colonizers" in African literature. In 1975, his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" became the focus of controversy for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as a "bloody racist."

Themes and Style

Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the impact of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era. His style relies heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, combining straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He also published numerous short stories, children's books, and essay collections. He served as the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.