Abstract
This paper examines the use of non-standard English in Ama Ata Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here and Other Stories. The English Language serves as the official medium of communication in Ghana. This is a direct outcome of Ghana being formerly colonized by the British. As a result, individuals have to do their best to effectively communicate using the English Language. Obviously, not all those who use English as a medium of communication speak what is accepted as Standard English in Ghana. Consequently, for the Ghanaian literary writer to properly mirror his/her society, there is usually the incorporation of non-standard English words and expressions in the various works of fiction. This study employs a qualitative content analysis research design. Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here and Other Stories serve as the primary data. Through a close reading of all the short stories which are part of the collection, instances of the use of non-standard English were identified and extracted for further analysis. This study identified transliterations, pidgin, and broken English as the major forms of words and expressions that can be described as non-standard English, which were used by some of the characters in the collection of stories. The study also revealed that the use of transliteration, pidgin and broken English in Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here and Other Stories helps to create humour and serves as a social marker. These non-standard English words and expressions are assigned to individuals who are regarded as being part of the lower class within the Ghanaian society. Language therefore plays a key role in representing the dynamics of power and social relations as far as the Ghanaian literary text is concerned.
Key Words: Communication, language, non-standard, stories, social marker
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2025.v01i03.019
author/Samuel Aduse-Poku
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 1(3) | December 2025 |
