COLONIAL LANGUAGE AND POSTCOLONIAL LINGUISTIC HYBRIDITY by Jarica Linn Watts A dissertation submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English The University of Utah May 2011 Copyright © Jarica Linn Watts 2011 All Rights Reserved The University of Utah Graduate School STATEMENT OF DISSERTATION APPROVAL The dissertation of Jarica Linn Watts , has been approved by the following supervisory committee members: Vincent J. Cheng , Chair February 11, 2011 Date Approved Craig Dworkin , Member February 11, 2011 Date Approved Jay Jordan , Member February 11, 2011 Date Approved Nadia Durbach , Member February 11, 2011 Date Approved Scott Black , Member February 11, 2011 Date Approved and by Vincent P. Pecora , Chair of the Department of English , and by Charles A. Wight, Dean of The Graduate School. ABSTRACT This dissertation project applies community-specific linguistic studies to various postcolonial texts, thereby offering readers an alternative way of analyzing the patterns of language usage in postcolonial literature. I use linguistic studies to help treat these communities not as they were—long-time colonies of the British Empire—but rather as they are now: multilingual societies that serve as gateways into complex webs of identity construction and language usage. In this vein, I approach postcolonial literature in relation to: (1) how the texts use language to either include or exclude others; (2) how the characters interpret and respond to the mix of original and new languages; (3) how language usage either deters from or solidifies the sense of belonging together on the part of colonial natives; and (4) how language functions as a force in each text considered. The particular linguistic studies I use have not generally been applied to literature, but I show that these theories can be mapped onto literary texts in very compelling ways. Because language is constructed differently in different regions, it only makes sense that linguistic identity has to be studied within specific societies; Africa’s multilingualism, for example, has often been described as on par with European multilingualism, yet this is theoretically misleading because whereas European multilingualism involves several written languages, the African context involves only a few written languages (such as Yoruba and Gikuyu) existing alongside oral languages founded on oral cultures and transmitted orally. Given, then, that this dissertation examines literary texts through the lens of local language, its findings are useful in that they reveal widely disparate modes of colonial resistance that tend to challenge more traditional postcolonial readings and interpretations. iv I think that theories of reception and of the rhetoric of fiction are crying out for the solidity and precision of linguistic description. Roger Fowler, Literature as Social Discourse , 34. TABLE OF CONTENTS 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................. V111 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Theoretical Orientation.................................................................................................. 8 1.2 In Summary....................................................................................................................... 16 2. "HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND OUR CULTURE": LINGUISTIC PRIVACY IN CHINUA ACHEBE'S THINGS FALL APART.......................................... ...................................................................... 17 2.1 Language and Identity.................................................................................................... 25 2.2 Narrative Strategy............................................................................................................. 28 3. LANGUAGE SHIFT IN FRIEL'S TRANSLATIONS: THE "SELF IS PERCEIVED AS OTHERNESS'.'............................................................... 50 3.1 Shift as Loss ....................................................................................................................... 55 3.2 Freeplay of Language....................................................................................................... 59 3.3 Changing Times.................................................................................................................. 82 4. "IT IS BETTER TO EAT WITH BOTH HANDS FOR A WHILE" KIPLING'S KIM AND THE LINGUABRIDITY OF A CHILD................................... 85 5. "RESEMBLING NEITHER COMFORT NOR HELL, BUT FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE TWO": CANNIBALISM AND CULTuRAL HYBRIDITY IN CARYL PHILLIPS'S CAMBRIDGE. .................................................... 120 5.1 Narrative Strategy.............................................................................................................. 126 5.2 Discursive and Cultural Cannibalism.......................................................................... 129 6. "WE ARE A DIVIDED PEOPLE, AREN'T WE?" THE POLITICS OF MULTICULTURAL LANGUAGE AND DIALECT CROSSING IN ZADIE SMITH'S WHITE TEETH. ........................................................... 158 7. CODA ............................................................................................................................................... 197 WORKS CITED.................................................................................................................................. 202 CURRICULUM VITA..................................................................................................................... 212 Vll ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the encouragement of faculty, friends, and family members. Several individuals deserve particular recognition for their contributions to this project. Vince Cheng has been an intellectually generous and patient advisor, who willingly marshaled me through my first article and then my first book. When I doubted my ability to complete this project, he took me to breakfast and bought me a root beer. We talked of President Barack Obama’s victory, which had coincidentally taken place the night before, and then Vince turned his attention to me: he evoked a mock-Latin aphorism to encourage me forward (“illegitimi non carborundum”), he scrawled some goals on a napkin, and then he quietly gave me the freedom to pursue my own independent thoughts and concerns. Vince consistently demonstrated his faith in my intellectual abilities, and I am grateful for the many hours he spent reading through my drafts, commenting on my writing, marking misplaced modifiers, and, in the end, respecting my voice. As I sat staring out the window of Jeff McCarthy’s office at the age of eighteen, I had no idea that I would continue to return there—for advice, for direction, for perspective—for more than a decade. Jeff saw a literary spark in me and directed me toward graduate school. He provided an alternate viewpoint when the demands of graduate school seemed too much, and he gave me a much needed push during this final year of study; his words propelled me through the rigors of the academic job hunt and into my first professorship. Within the walls of his office, I grew up and came into my own as a literary scholar, and I thank him for his unflagging encouragement and invaluable instruction. Kathi Whitman, though not a formal member of my dissertation committee, helped prepare me to do the independent work required in a doctoral dissertation. She took me on as an undergraduate student and provided me with countless writing opportunities. Writing for Kathi was one of the great learning experiences and most enjoyable work experiences of my academic career. Under her direction, I learned the intricacies of English grammar and syntax. She gave me the opportunity to write for local, national, and international publications, and each of those writing experiences helped me in finding my own written voice. I also acknowledge the University of Utah’s Department of English and the institutional support I received from the Clarence Snow/Sherman Brown Neff Fellowship, which I was awarded during my final year of study. On the subject of “literary sociolinguistics,” I thank the great writers and researchers who introduced me to the multimodal methodology that exists between literary studies and linguistics—Eric Anchimbe and Roger Fowler, most prominently. I want to thank my dissertation committee members—Craig Dworkin, Jay Jordan, and Nadja Durbach—for their support throughout my graduate training and for the active interest they each took in my work and education. ix I would like to thank my friends Dorothy Hans, Chris Margrave, Hunter Ginn, and Michelle VanTassell-Hancock. Your strong opinions and willingness to share them have been invaluable to me throughout this journey. I thank my parents and grandparents for feigning interest in postcolonial linguistic hybridity and for making the effort to integrate my studies into our dinner table conversations. I thank my mother-in-law, Tami, for the love and affection she showed my little one while I was busy writing and researching. This dissertation would not have been possible without you. And finally, I want to thank my dear husband, Clint, for his love, sacrifice, and undeterred devotion. Clint envisioned this completed project long before it became