In the novel, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the reader can notice that sometimes when the people from the Ibo culture are speaking their words have not been translated into English. The author did this for several different reasons. One of the reasons could be that it makes the characters personality stronger and by the reader reading their native words it also makes it more personal which could make the reader feel more connected to the character, being able to understand them more. Achebe may also use words such as agadi-nwayi, eneke-nti-oba and isa-ifi to show the reader more what culture is like because during the whole novel the reader is learning many different aspects from Ibo culture.
One Response to “Achebe Uses Plenty of Ibo Vocabulary. Consider Its Effect.”
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English As Pie 
I highly agree that Achebe has included words in his native tongue in order to make it more personal for the reader. It certainly leaves a bigger impression and gives insight to the reader on yet another aspect of Ibo culture- language. The author’s intention here also links to what user camerongilroy referred to, in that one of Achebe’s intentions is “to resurrect the original culture of those colonized”. By choosing to use words of their native tongue, Achebe helps enables his other audience (his native people) to better understand some of the concepts of the novel, which ultimately helps them reminds them of their rich, complex culture.