Achebe's Writing Style - Things Fall Apart

Languages of Africa

Achebe masterfully integrates the Igbo language throughout the text to further infuse the novel with the misunderstood culture.  While Achebe could have simply excluded the Igbo words and phrases and therefore made his task easier, he did not: Thus he gave the full effect of the Igbo culture to the readers.  In today's current society, and much of Achebe's initial audience, extremely little was known about the African tribes, including their language.  In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness the "savages" or African tribesmen are seen on the riverbanks jumping up and down and chanting: This portrayal suggests that their words are meaningless nonsense.  But Achebe's choice of including the language in the novel showcases the complexity and reality of the Igbo language; "...his daughter's uri.  It was the day on which her suitor...would bring palm-wine...to the wide and extensive group of kinsmen called umunna" (100); Achebe seamlessly incorporates the foreign language, clearly explaining what each word means in the context of the text.  He therefore gives the audience a greater grasp on the terms.  Achebe's technique stimulates the mind of someone who is bilingual, thinking in both languages and using specific words that can't easily translate.  It is through this way that Achebe is essentially teaching the audience Igbo.