The semantics of solidarity and brotherhood in Chinua Achebe's "No longer at ease"

  1. Castillo García, Gema Soledad 1
  2. Bengoechea Bartolomé, Mercedes 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Alcalá
    info

    Universidad de Alcalá

    Alcalá de Henares, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04pmn0e78

Revista:
Journal of English Studies

ISSN: 1576-6357

Año de publicación: 2000

Título del ejemplar: New Voices in Literature

Número: 2

Páginas: 19-34

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.18172/JES.55 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: Journal of English Studies

Resumen

We intent to shed new light on the role of Pidgin, one of the languages used by Achebe's characters in No Longer at Ease. We suggest that, contrary to what some literary critics have interpreted, Pidgin, far from being the language of triviality or of the uneducated alone, represents in Achebe's work an honourable rite of passage from rural life into urban development in a multilingual post-colonial nation, and a bridge between conflicting worlds, Africa and Europe, tradition and innovation. Furthermore, a close consideration of the semantics of solidarity in the novel reveals the importance of the roles played by two languages, Ibo, and, more outstandingly, Pidgin, as vehicles of fellowship and brotherhood. This is revealed by examining the use of three of the linguistic varieties present in No Longer at Ease: Ibo, conversational English, and Pidgin. Our analysis discloses a transfer of legitimacy from English to a communally owned Pidgin.

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Fuente de los datos: Dialnet