Linguistic imperialism Essay

Linguistic imperialism can be defined as the enforcement or imposition of wizard language onto a nonher it t mop ups to be a key wight of the colonialist seeking to mend the backward societies that they find, generally to their own purpose. Thus, writers much(prenominal) as Friel and Achebe swallow sought-after(a) to reanimate the up to now ever present colonialist perceptions of the west by attacking the riding habit of language in their societies, for example, Hiberno- position in variations.Further much, it is necessary to analyse the soma and structure of the primary texts, for instance, how Achebe and Friel both manage to structure their texts in such a way that it gives a distinctly foreign aesthetic, whilst still creating a subtly intelligent and overcritical communicatory. Also, it is important to look at the literary techniques and devices that argon used within Translations and Things Fall Apart, for example, dramatic chaff (e. g. the reference to the potato fa mine in Translations) or symbols like Mr. chocolate-brown in Things Fall Apart, who pose a could-have-been harmonious presence between two vastly distinguishable cultures.In addition, it is necessary to lineage and compare the primary texts with secondary texts such as Ngugi wa Thiongos The Language of African Literature, and analyse how relevant or arrive ative Things Fall Apart and Translations are in their implicit in(p) criticism of lingual imperialism. Overall, it is a crucial to explore these various threads of investigation to come to an boilersuit conclusion in terms of how Friel and Achebe present the issue of linguistic imperialism and how successful they are.George Steiner, in After Babel, writes that Translation exists because men dis mark different languages (1998, p. 51). He goes on to question it, by asking Why should sympathetic beings speak thousands of different, mutually incomprehensible tongues? (1998, p. 51), that homo sapiens are basically biologicall y the same wherefore have we not evolved to speak unrivaled common language? Steiners study of language and conference concludes that with the death of a language comes the dissolution of cultures and identities Each takes with it a storehouse of consciousness (1998, p.56).This was of consequential figure out to Brian Friel and Translations, notable throughout the play. For instance, the various ways in which Friel portrays translation the cartographers Owens not-completely-correct translation of Lancey Maire and Yollands romanticistic tryst and so forth create the notion that the English language is not compatible with Irish culture. This is an overarching idea that reaches its crescendo with the Donnelly twins, Friels representation of the Provision IRA within the play i. e. the violent end of Yolland, inferred by the actions of the Donnelly twins, is an echo of 1980s era conflicts.These conflicts were created by tensions still remaining today, by Protestants and Catholics in Federal Ireland the Catholics calling for the reunification of Ireland, and Protestants wishing to remain separated realistically, these tensions would have not necessarily existed had there been no British colonising of Ireland, and Translations has been identified as echoing Friels political interest in the matters.The reader or listening of Translations are bound by Friel to a highly complex idea of translation and the pasture of language in a culture similarly, we are made aware of this in Things Fall Apart. wiz of the nearly accessible passages that exemplify this goes as follows When they had all gathered the smock man began to speak to them. He spoke through an interpreter who was an Ibo man, though his dialect was different and harsh to the ears of Mbanta.Many people laughed at his dialect and the way he used words strangely. Instead of saying myself he always express my scarcetocks. (Things Fall Apart, p. 136) Subtly, Achebe feeds the reader linguistic perspect ive alien to most western sandwich culture that Africa was not, and is not, a land full of savages who cannot communicate as well as the Europeans, and instead a variety of different tongues that is not necessarily exactly recognisable from one clan to another.In regards to Translations, Friel has been left relatively unscathed by those in Ireland who may have felt aban hold outed by Friels artistic purpose to employ Hiberno-English as opposed to contemporary Gaelic, whilst both authors have clearly chosen English as a medium to address linguistic imperialism (using the tool of colonialism once muchst the colonialists). Achebe has been highly criticised for writing in English. Ngugi wa Thiongo criticised African authors who chose English over their native tongue to write in.He asked How did we arrive at this espousal of the fatalistic logic of the unassailable position of English in our literature, in our culture, and in our government? (1995, p. 287) Thiongo goes on to say t hat as the bullet is to physical oppressiveness, language was the means of spiritual subjugation (1995, p. 287). To understand Thiongos logic, the reader needs to take into context a passage gain ground on in the essay, which refers to his experiences at a colonial school and the use of his mother tongue, GikuyuThus one of the most humiliating experiences was to be caught speaking Gikuyu in the vicinity of the school. The culprit was given corporal penalisation three to five strokes of the cane on bare buttocks or was made to carry a metal plate around the neck with inscriptions such as I AM STUPID or I AM A DONKEY (1995, p. 288) Thiongo is asserting that the use of English was imposed upon umteen of the African tribes and with it the enforcement of superiority and supposed civilisation to use Gikuyu was to be made to feel inferior and stupid, and to speak English fluently would be the height of education achievement.A further statement by Thiongo states Literary education w as now determined by the dominant language while also reinforcing that dominance. Orature in Kenyan languages stopped. (1995, p. 288). The loss of such orature and its replacement by the English written word was heavily destructive, check to Thiongo he concludes the essay be ac receiveledging that human society and culture is formed by the interactions and chat of people, that complex systems of ethics and experience, these systems creating one distinctive society from another.If the means of communication that has developed such a conjunction is, like Tobair Vree in Translations something is being eroded (p. 53), or destroyed, and then, much like Steiner, that society is lost. To Thiongo, Achebes use of English over his native tongue is, rather than delicate manipulation for the anti-colonialist purpose, actually contributive in destroying that particular culture forever. However, despite Thiongos clear dissatis incidention at Achebes use of the English language as a genera l point, this point could be considered moot.Early on in the essay, Thiongo quotes Achebe as saying Is it right that a man should abandon his mother tongue for soulfulness elses? IT looks like a dreadful betrayal and produces a guilty feeling. But for me there is no other choice. I have been given the language and intend to use it. (1995, p. 285 citing 1975, p. 62) This is evident in the thorough construction and consideration of Things Fall Apart. Achebe has written a novel in which the reader could easily recollect themselves around a blazing fire with an elder of a Nigerian clan, with the story being meticulously recited to them.The rhythm of the novel is manipulated in such a way that it becomes less like an English-written novel and more a native piece of orature. For example, Achebe makes good use of drums in the novel, to create the rhythm of the traditional narrative Just then the distant beating of drums began to reach them the drums beat the unmistakable wrestling danc e quick, lower and gay, and it came floating on the wind. (Things Fall Apart, p. 41)A further use of language to create an African English is the utilisation of proverbs, which play a central part in emphasising the Ibo culture, as proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. In addition, Achebe peppers Things Fall Apart with Ibo words this digression is an act of defiance to the colonists who felt they could just supply Ibo culture (religion, education and so forth). By this, Achebe means to illustrate the barriers of translation, in that there is no fitting word for, as an example, ogbanje, one of those wicked children who, when they died, entered their mothers womb to be born again.Similarly, Achebes conquest to plough the Colonialists language back in on itself, Achebe wrote an essay called An count on of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness. Achebe analyses Western views of Africa (such as those of that erudite British historian Regius Professor of Oxford , Hugh Trevor Roper (Achebe, 1961)) in stinging rhetoric which de spicyrs the idea of that prolific early anti-colonialist novelists like Conrad were, perchance unwittingly, racist in themselves. Achebe writes Conrad was born in 1857it was certainly not his fault that he lived in a time when the story of the dingy man was at a particularly low level. But there remains still in Conrads pose a residue of antipathy to obtuse people Certainly, Conrad had a conundrum with niggers. His inordinate love of that word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts. Sometimes his fixation on disastrousness is as interesting as when he gives us this brief description of a black personA black figure stood up, strong long black legs, waving long black arms as though we might expect them to wave white arms (Achebe, 1961) In this short except, it is noticeable how Achebe associates Conrads conduplicatio of black as sinister, and potentially in itself, a form of linguistic imperialism in t his, it is the fact that the word black (and nigger) has previously been held to have negatively charged connotations or was created for a negative purpose, but both create a reputation of the black man at a particularly low level (Achebe, 1961).Achebe also goes on to say that these psychoanalysts who have already written at length about Conrad fail to recognise his attitude to black people, even in discussion over anti-Semitic values, which only leads one to surmise that Western psychoanalysts must regard the kind of racism displayed by Conrad as absolutely normal (Achebe, 1961) and that this same control of vulgar fashion prejudices insults from which a section of mankind has suffered untold agonies (Achebe, 1961) has been described by a hard scholar as among the half dozen greatest short novels in the English language (Achebe, 1961).From this, the audience of this essay can understand that Achebe, in as short a summary as possible, suggests that one of the most famous or in t his case infamous novellas to be written on the matter of Africa by a European stranger epitomises how the English language has been used as Thiongos subjugation of the soul even if Conrads intentions in writing it were not consciously racist, in nerve-wracking to purvey a certain message he colonised the African peoples by associating them with pejoratives and otherwise negative descriptors.Friel and Achebe are both influential authors for similar reasons they attack subversive, modern perceptions of lost worlds that have in late years movements like African National Congress in South Africa and the IRA in Ireland sought to revert nation-states to their natural, pre-colonial state. In this, they have both similar and not so similar approaches to literature, and have incorporated techniques to manipulate ideas incorporated in their book. For example, both authors make use of particular styles of writing to pantomime the native language whilst writing in the colonial language ( i.e. English).In Friels case, this is Hiberno-English, which is a form of Irish that retains its Gaelic lexical structure whilst being spoken in English, for instance, when Doalty says to Manus Hi, Manus, theres two bucks down the road there asking for you (Translations, p. 46) in strict grammatical terms, Doaltys phrase structure does not make sense in proper English, demonstrating inherent intimacy and deitis. Friel is applying the idea of Continual figurehead of Gaelic to the English language.This application is also a theatrical device or conceit whereby Hugh is usually portrayed with an English accent, as he does not use Hiberno-English. Similarly, Achebe put simply, both in lexicon and sentence structure, he opts for the straightforward instead of the obtuse (Easthope, 1988) and in doing so imitates traditional Ibo storytelling. Another literary device used by Friel and Achebe in their respective texts is their use of symbolism. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses locusts to symbolise the invading colonialists And then the locusts camethe elders said locusts came once in a generation, reappeared every year for seven years and then disappeared for another lifetime. They went back to their caves in a distant land, where they were guarded by a race of scrabbly men. (Things Fall Apart, p. 51) The above quote inferences that the locusts are the colonialists, by Achebe carefully alluding to the race of stunted men that lives in a distant land. Achebe goes on Then quite suddenly a shadow condemnable on the world At first, a fairly small swarm came. They were harbingers sent to survey the land.And then appeared on the horizon a slowly moving mass like a boundless cerement of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia. (Things Fall Apart, p. 52) In this, Achebes symbolism is clear those like Mr. Brown and initial missionaries were assigned only to convert those African savages into morally correct Christians, and to some extent allowed their cultures to liv e as congruently as possible. It is only with the materialisation of the govern Commissioner who declares the Ibo people to be in the dominion of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world that this comes to a head.Achebe foreshadows the jumping ship of characters like Nwoye, by referencing the consumption of the locusts such members of the community have consumed the colonialist culture, in all its forms, including language. Unlike Achebes extended metaphor of the locusts, Friel uses a passing, but nonetheless poignant, subtle symbolic reference to the potato famine. Bridget proclaims They say thats the way it snakes in, dont they? First they smell and then one morning the stalks are all black and hopple (Translations, p. 18) with Maire exclaimingSweet smell Sweet smell Every year at this time somebody comes back with stories of the sweet smell. Sweet God, did the potatoes ever fail in Baile Beag? There was never a plague here but were all sniffing about for a disaster. (Translations, p. 18) This is symbolic of the rotting Irish culture, and weakness language as contextually the potato was the staple foodstuff. The potato famine was not only symbolic, but also highly ironic when Maire says did the potatoes ever fail in Baile Beag? the audience knows fully well that they would.This device, more specifically referred to as dramatic irony, is used often by Friel in Translations, and serves to foreshadow eventual(prenominal) destruction too. Another use of it is Hughs recital of The Aeneid Such was such was the course such was the course ordained ordained by fate What the hells wrong with me? Sure I know it back ways, Ill begin again. Urbs antiqua fuit (Translations, pp. 90-91) This is doubly ironic, as on the one hand, Hugh cannot seem to fully hatch it Latin and Greek are often referenced throughout the play by Jimmy jak and Hugh, both of them themselves being dead languages and cultures.Perhaps in further reference to After Babel by Geor ge Steiner, the fact that Hugh cannot remember it is a reflection of Gaelic even intelligent scholars like him will eventually stomach a tongue they have worked so hard to protect. A further projection of irony in Hughs recital is the content of Virgils The Aeneid. The Aeneid is a parallel between the destruction of Carthage, a city on the North African coast, by the Romans and the destruction of Baile Beag by the English.What is highly ironic about The Aeneid, and to the highest degree makes this piece of dramatic irony self-parodying, is that The Aeneid was written in the language of those that destroyed Carthage (the Romans). Again, irony is quite overriding in Things Fall Apart with the most pertinent example falling, like Translations, at the end of the novel. This is the District Commissioners reaction to Okonkwos suicide Everyday brought him new material. The story of this man who had killed a courier and hanged himself would make interesting reading.One could almost wri te a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. (Things Fall Apart, p. 197) This is ironic because after the lengthy and tumultuous tale of Okonkwo and his struggles to not be like his father, the complex hierarchy of elders and the intricacy of Okonkwo and his struggles to not be like his father, the complex hierarchy of elders and the intricacy of their traditions and religion, the District Commissioner feels it can only almost be written about in one chapter, and designates to only a paragraph.This is highly representative of the failure of the white man to translate the Ibo culture and ability into being a highly complex culture, and instead treats the colonization of the Ibo people as The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger (Things Fall Apart, p. 197). In conclusion, both Achebe and Friel carefully construct stories using literary devices that serve to recreate their personal heritage of a realistic and pitif ul community who fall victim to unrepentant imperialism. In this, they have been able to repudiate colonial superiority in particular in regards to language and colonial ideas of progression.Whilst both portray three dimensional characters in that they are atomistic for example, in Translations, Hughs view of the English is different to Owens which is in turn separate from Manuss and provides a highly explorative analysis of linguistic imperialism and its effect on individuals and the community. To summarise, all of the text referred to in this essay, in their own ways, are deeply critical of the effects of linguistic imperialism, particularly in the context of colonialism and so-called progression.