Kosiya Kifefe

This study establishes the ethnic variety of English, Igbo English (IE), in the Nigerian novel. It demonstrates that IE is a deliberate and stylistic device arising from the influence of the Igbo language - oral and written forms, and culture on English, resulting in the clear identity of this variety. The author illustrates the distinctiveness of IE with reference to the novels of Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Buchi Emecheta, Chuwuemeka Ike, Nkem Nwankwo and several other writers. He goes on to explore the role of these literary writers first in the development of IE, and then more generally, in the development of Nigerian English. He comments on the implications of their work for the modern African novel as a whole, and for an approach of study to African literature from the perspective of ethnic literary tradition.