Language and Identity in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah
Language use and identity construction in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah reveal how linguistic practices shape cultural, social, and racial identity in transnational contexts. This study explores how accent, Nigerian English, and code-switching function as tools of self-expression, cultural assertion, and agency among selected characters in the novel. Using qualitative textual analysis, with passages selected at random, the study draws on close readings of the novel. The analysis is anchored in raciolinguistic theory and supported by postcolonial scholarship. The findings reveal that Nigerian English affirms cultural heritage, code-switching enables the negotiation of multiple social and racial spaces, and the strategic use of voice and silence empowers characters to assert identity and resist marginalisation. The study also shows how language interacts with racial consciousness: linguistic adaptation cannot erase societal assumptions, but it can mediate self-perception and agency. In conclusion, Americanah demonstrates that language is central to identity formation and negotiation, offering insights for educators, literary scholars, and practitioners on validating linguistic diversity, teaching strategic code-switching, and fostering the conscious use of voice to empower individuals in multicultural and diasporic contexts.