Journal of Arts, Meaning and Public Life

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.

Language, Displacement, and Cultural Negotiation in Sanaz Toossi’s English : A Study through Translingualism and Identity Theory

voiCe: ConsTruCTing language and CulTural idenTiTy in posTColonial narraTives

Phatic Norms in Kazakh and English Digital Discourse: Cultural Code and Pragmatic Function

This article examines how phatic norms in Kazakh and English are condensed in the shift from face-to-face interaction to digital communication while preserving culturally specific meanings. It focuses on brief confirmations, forms of address, gratitude formulas, apologies, emojis, and other signals that sustain social connection. The topic is relevant because these markers are often interpreted differently in multilingual online environments, creating misunderstanding and latent tension. This is especially significant in international work teams, online education, and AI-mediated interaction, where recognition of phatic norms is essential. The study identifies similarities and differences in Kazakh and English phatic strategies used to open interaction, confirm participation, shape interpersonal effect, and close communication politely, while revealing the cultural codes underlying these practices. The material includes traditional communicative data, such as biys’ discourse, oratorical speech, and literary dialogues, together with digital data from messaging platforms, social networks, and workplace chats. The data were analyzed qualitatively from a pragmatic perspective, focusing on socially meaningful markers in short messages. The findings show that English phatic communication tends to rely on brief, neutral confirmations such as ok, sure, got it, and thanks. Kazakh phatic strategies more often preserve interpersonal warmth and dialogic balance through forms of address such as ağa and apa, gratitude formulas, and etiquette sensitive to age and status. The study shows that phatic communication functions as a culturally conditioned mechanism of digital social regulation. Its practical value lies in supporting online etiquette in multicultural teams and improving AI responses in the Kazakh-English language pair.

Tradition and Modernity of Humanity

NARRATIVE VOICE: CONSTRUCTING LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN POSTCOLONIAL NARRATIVES

This article examines the role of narrative voice in the construction of language and cultural identity within postcolonial narratives. Drawing upon the theoretical perspectives of Frantz Fanon, Edward Said and Bill Ashcroft, the study explores how postcolonial writers employ narrative strategies to articulate displacement, hybridity, fragmented identity, and cultural resistance. Particular attention is given to the relationship between narration, linguistic hybridity, memory, and historical trauma. Through the analysis of works by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie, Bapsi Sidhwa, Sorayya Khan, and Bina Shah, the article demonstrates that narrative voice functions not only as a literary technique but also as a cultural and linguistic space where identity, belonging, and resistance are negotiated. The study further argues that contemporary postcolonial dystopian fiction expands these discussions through the representation of gender identity, surveillance, and ideological control. Ultimately, the article emphasizes that postcolonial narrative voice reconstructs marginalized cultural experiences while simultaneously challenging the ideological legacy of colonial discourse.