Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
Use of Ghanaianisms: A Mark of Identity?
Abstract
Ghanaianisms play a critical role in managing linguistic taboos. These are marks of Ghanaian cultural and linguistic
identities. The Ghanaian creative writer, as well as the journalist, who has to stylistically contextualize his/her work,
ought to adjust, distort and enlarge the scope of the English and change its shape to suit the linguistic space and time.
This space and time fulfills what Zvemoya (2011) says “Our ancestors recognised this and, as a way of control and to
encourage creativity designated the times and places for obscene.” From the perspective of an emic researcher, data were
gathered from creative works of Ghanaian creative writers and from the media (broadcast and print). It was found out
that the culture of Ghana is unique, so Ghanaians use Ghanaianisms to play a critical role in managing linguistic taboos
and to mark identity. Another finding was that the use of Ghanaianisms is as a result of the passion Ghanaians have
attached to the reality of life instances when it comes to how Ghanaians see English as their own. It is suggested that
Ghanaianisms are recognized and codified so as to ease the use of English in the Ghanaian context
