The Combat between English Linguistic Imperialism and Linguistic Nationalism——An Analysis of Akinwumi Isola' s The Uses of English

This essay adopts theory of post-colonialism to analyze the short story The Uses of English by Akinwumi Isola, a prestigious contemporary Nigerian writer. English, the language of the colonizer, which is regarded by many as the symbol of power and superiority, continues to ruin the spiritual world of the colonized in post-colonial era. Faced with the threat of linguistic imperialism to the native tongue and culture, the colonized people, through hybridity and mimicry, deconstruct English language. With its power weakened and superiority challenged, English becomes a ridiculous"paper tiger". This story reflects how the authority of English is subverted and deconstructed by the native tongue. In addition, the author's writing in local language also proves that linguistic nationalism is a powerful weapon to resist English linguistic imperialism in post-colonial context.