The Anglophone literary-linguistic continuum : English and Indigenous languages in African literary discourse / Michael Andindilile.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Andindilile, Michael, author.

Contributor:

Project Muse.

Series:

African humanities series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and culture--Africa.

Language and culture.

Discourse analysis, Literary--Africa.

Discourse analysis, Literary.

African literature--History and criticism.

African literature.

African literature (English)--History and criticism.

African literature (English).

Language and languages--Political aspects.

Africa--Languages--Political aspects.

Africa.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xiv, 152 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Grahamstown, South Africa : NISC (Pty) Ltd, on behalf of the African Humanities Program, 2018.

Summary:

"Interrogates Obi Wali's (1963) prophecy that continued use of former colonial languages in the production of African literature could only lead to 'sterility', as African literatures can only be written in indigenous African languages. In doing so, Andindilile critically examines selected of novels of Achebe of Nigeria, Ngũgĩ of Kenya, Gordimer of South Africa and Farah of Somalia and shows that, when we pay close attention to what these authors represent about their African societies, and the way they integrate African languages, values, beliefs and cultures, we can discover what constitutes the Anglophone African literary-linguistic continuum. This continuum can be defined as variations in the literary usage of English in African literary discourse, with the language serving as the base to which writers add variations inspired by indigenous languages, beliefs, cultures and, sometimes, nation-specific experiences."--Back cover.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 The case for an Anglophone African literary-linguistic continuum

Introduction

Historical roots of the African novel in Anglophone Africa

The Tower of Babel and the intricate African linguistic landscape

Africa and the compound, complex literary-linguistic situation

English as a vehicular language

Plurality in modern African literatures

Conclusion

ch. 2 Achebe and Anglophone African literary discourse

Traditional literary elements and Achebe's aesthetics

Duality of purpose in Achebe's literary-linguistic project

Beyond stereotyping: The implication of Achebe's aesthetics

Notes

ch. 3 Ngugi, nativism, English and translingnalism

The original Anglophone project

Novels in transition: On the threshold to nativism

The Gikuyu project and translation

Note

ch. 4 Gordimer, English, race and cross-cultural translation

They `Spoke and Shouted in a Language [She] Didn't Understand'

`In the Safety of Their Own Language'

`Speaking an African Language was Simply a Qualification'

ch. 5 Far ah, English and cosmopolitanism

Farah's literary-linguistic project

Intricacies of re-imagining the nation in a former colonial language

Cultural identification beyond linguistic expression

National mosaic

Language of violence and nationalistic discourse

ch. 6 Anglophonism, the novel and the African literary-linguistic continuum

The African novel and the English `home' in Africa

Bickerton's theory and the African literary-linguistic continuum

Literary-linguistic continuum as a trajectory in modern African literatures

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781920033231

1920033238

OCLC:

1083083664

Publisher Number:

99992179332