Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon

Cultural fragmentation as a result of collective trauma evokes the question of representation as a means of identification during conflict. In the period of intellectual revolution, language lies at the core of the problem since speaking is the negation of silence and silencing. The question of the...

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Autor principal:	Yassmine Boukhalkhal
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	AR EN FA RU
Publicado:	Language Art 2021
Materias:	representation language appropriation cultural reconstruction identity epistemology Language and Literature P Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/20794eb2b94e483eba665de4b6c02135
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:20794eb2b94e483eba665de4b6c021352021-11-26T21:18:34ZLanguage Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon2476-65262538-271310.22046/LA.2021.12https://doaj.org/article/20794eb2b94e483eba665de4b6c021352021-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.languageart.ir/index.php/LA/article/view/238https://doaj.org/toc/2476-6526https://doaj.org/toc/2538-2713Cultural fragmentation as a result of collective trauma evokes the question of representation as a means of identification during conflict. In the period of intellectual revolution, language lies at the core of the problem since speaking is the negation of silence and silencing. The question of the appropriate way to express and reclaim one’s past, culture, and identity falls within the scope of historical constructors/ re-constructors’ negotiations. While some of them, including Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo, suggest writing in national and ethnic languages for the sake of their people, others like Chinua Achebe prefer writing in the dominator’s language to display and prove the culture of the dominated through creating an international discourse. However, the latter standpoint calls also for a New Language that is guilt-free using language appropriation. Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is worth pointing at work to illustrate the significance of language appropriation. Morrison assumes a kind of escape, a spiritual one, embedded in language. Milkman, the protagonist, has an identity that is split spatially as Homi Bhabha labels that. While his identity must just match his social reality, Milkman is stuck in the after effects of cultural identification. As a result, in order to piece together his fragmented reality, he must fly back to his origins. During his journey, he learns about the past through an encoded song, Song of Solomon. Although the lyrics are mostly written in English in addition to some African dialects, the song sounds like nonsense while it bears cultural connotations. Thus, language is used within a specific context that makes it able to cope with the signified.Yassmine BoukhalkhalLanguage Artarticlerepresentationlanguage appropriationcultural reconstructionidentityepistemologyLanguage and LiteraturePLanguage. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammarP101-410ARENFARUHunar-i zabān, Vol 6, Iss 2, Pp 91-100 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	AR EN FA RU
topic	representation language appropriation cultural reconstruction identity epistemology Language and Literature P Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410
spellingShingle	representation language appropriation cultural reconstruction identity epistemology Language and Literature P Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410 Yassmine Boukhalkhal Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
description	Cultural fragmentation as a result of collective trauma evokes the question of representation as a means of identification during conflict. In the period of intellectual revolution, language lies at the core of the problem since speaking is the negation of silence and silencing. The question of the appropriate way to express and reclaim one’s past, culture, and identity falls within the scope of historical constructors/ re-constructors’ negotiations. While some of them, including Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo, suggest writing in national and ethnic languages for the sake of their people, others like Chinua Achebe prefer writing in the dominator’s language to display and prove the culture of the dominated through creating an international discourse. However, the latter standpoint calls also for a New Language that is guilt-free using language appropriation. Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is worth pointing at work to illustrate the significance of language appropriation. Morrison assumes a kind of escape, a spiritual one, embedded in language. Milkman, the protagonist, has an identity that is split spatially as Homi Bhabha labels that. While his identity must just match his social reality, Milkman is stuck in the after effects of cultural identification. As a result, in order to piece together his fragmented reality, he must fly back to his origins. During his journey, he learns about the past through an encoded song, Song of Solomon. Although the lyrics are mostly written in English in addition to some African dialects, the song sounds like nonsense while it bears cultural connotations. Thus, language is used within a specific context that makes it able to cope with the signified.
format	article
author	Yassmine Boukhalkhal
author_facet	Yassmine Boukhalkhal
author_sort	Yassmine Boukhalkhal
title	Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
title_short	Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
title_full	Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
title_fullStr	Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
title_full_unstemmed	Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon
title_sort	language appropriation and cultural reconstruction: an example of morrison’s song of solomon
publisher	Language Art
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/20794eb2b94e483eba665de4b6c02135
work_keys_str_mv	AT yassmineboukhalkhal languageappropriationandculturalreconstructionanexampleofmorrisonssongofsolomon
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Language Appropriation and Cultural Reconstruction: An example of Morrison’s Song of Solomon

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