A Critical Analysis of Ngugi wa Thiongo and Language

Abstract

The master's tools can never dismantle the master's house, same is language. But in other instances language when not well used can make or un-make a writer and taint the ideas he or she wants to uncover. Ngugi wa Thiongo, as a prolific African writer has to his credit a wide repertoire of literary works, ranging from novels, drama, poetry and many other educational materials used in and outside the walls of Kenya, his country. Language as a tool has been used creatively by Ngugi in most of his works to depict many ideas. This paper seeks to investigate and analyse Ngugi's choice and use of language in some of his literary works. The books selected for this research were randomly selected using the random sampling procedure. From the analysis of the works selected for the studies, the researcher found that Ngugi had a personal stance and stake on his choice of language used in his works, as well as employing several linguistic features to hail the traditions, beliefs, experiences and the socio-cultural life of the African.