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This chapter examines the linguistic and literary stakes of Melatu Uche Okorie’s short story “This Hostel Life” (2018), which is written in a hybrid language the author describes as “a mixture of Nigerian Pidgin English and some American slang words which she [a Congolese woman] speaks in a strong Kinsala accent” (Okorie, 8). Situated in a Dublin direct provision centre, the story is narrated by Beverléé, a Congolese migrant, whose voice—along with that of other characters—emerges through a language deliberately created for literary purposes. While this language bears surface resemblance to Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE), Okorie explicitly dissuades readers from reading it as such, challenging assumptions about linguistic authenticity and codification. The story’s unconventional language may cause what Toolan (Language and Literature 1:29–46, 1992) terms “reader resistance”, unsettling readers regardless of their linguistic background. The narrative’s refusal of both Standard English and standardized Pidgin destabilizes dominant literary-linguistic norms and foregrounds the politics of voice in migrant storytelling. This chapter undertakes a tripartite analysis of Okorie’s linguistic invention: first, by interrogating the formal and structural elements of the language displayed in the short story and its relation to NPE and English; second, by evaluating the stylistic effects of this hybrid language; and third, by exploring the literary and political implications of anchoring Nigerian-derived linguistic form within the Irish context of direct provision. NPE, spoken by over 110 million people yet lacking official recognition, functions globally as a diasporic lingua franca. In Okorie’s story, its strategic deployment serves as both a literary device and a political statement, foregrounding migrant resilience and solidarity while challenging linguistic hierarchies. The chapter argues that Okorie’s hybrid language constitutes a poetics of non-(standard) English, one that both resists assimilation and reclaims narrative authority. Ultimately, the story exemplifies how linguistic innovation can shed light on migrant experience, interrogate national boundaries and reimagine the politics of literary voice.

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“The Kin” English Dey Speak, Me I Don’t Understand at All’: The Performative Power of Literary Nigerian Pidgin English in Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life” (2018)

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Léa Boichard

摘要

This chapter examines the linguistic and literary stakes of Melatu Uche Okorie’s short story “This Hostel Life” (2018), which is written in a hybrid language the author describes as “a mixture of Nigerian Pidgin English and some American slang words which she [a Congolese woman] speaks in a strong Kinsala accent” (Okorie, 8). Situated in a Dublin direct provision centre, the story is narrated by Beverléé, a Congolese migrant, whose voice—along with that of other characters—emerges through a language deliberately created for literary purposes. While this language bears surface resemblance to Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE), Okorie explicitly dissuades readers from reading it as such, challenging assumptions about linguistic authenticity and codification. The story’s unconventional language may cause what Toolan (Language and Literature 1:29–46, 1992) terms “reader resistance”, unsettling readers regardless of their linguistic background. The narrative’s refusal of both Standard English and standardized Pidgin destabilizes dominant literary-linguistic norms and foregrounds the politics of voice in migrant storytelling. This chapter undertakes a tripartite analysis of Okorie’s linguistic invention: first, by interrogating the formal and structural elements of the language displayed in the short story and its relation to NPE and English; second, by evaluating the stylistic effects of this hybrid language; and third, by exploring the literary and political implications of anchoring Nigerian-derived linguistic form within the Irish context of direct provision. NPE, spoken by over 110 million people yet lacking official recognition, functions globally as a diasporic lingua franca. In Okorie’s story, its strategic deployment serves as both a literary device and a political statement, foregrounding migrant resilience and solidarity while challenging linguistic hierarchies. The chapter argues that Okorie’s hybrid language constitutes a poetics of non-(standard) English, one that both resists assimilation and reclaims narrative authority. Ultimately, the story exemplifies how linguistic innovation can shed light on migrant experience, interrogate national boundaries and reimagine the politics of literary voice.