A Postcolonial Study of the Effects of Linguistic Imperialism in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions (1988)

Abstract

This research demonstrates the effects of linguistic imperialism on Africans through a postcolonial reading to Tsitsi Dangarembga‘s novel Nervous Conditions (1988). The main focus of this study is on the cultural and psychological effects that linguistic imperialism has on the African persona. Therefore, a description of the postcolonial African writers‘ choice of language is discussed. Moreover, the colonial linguistic practices that are done to elevate the status of European languages are also examined in this research. Strategies of escaping the linguistic complex condition that Africans undergo during and post-apartheid are also given great importance in this study