Language

The language used in the excerpt from the novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is informal, reflecting the typical language used in blog posts. Generally, authors of blog posts speak directly to their audiences and use their own opinions and experiences to make their writing more persuasive. 

In her blog posts, Ifemelu addresses her target audience directly – “dear non-American black” and “dear American non-black”. She further uses her own experiences as a black immigrant to the United States to address important issues, like race and racism in America.

Ifemelu’s language is mainly informal, with a mix of serious and humorous notes. Ifemelu often uses slang like “shit”, “shebang” or “bigass”, which makes her seem straightforward and blunt. Then, she uses humor to highlight the absurdity of ignoring discussions about race: “Don’t be quick to find alternative explanations for what happened. Don’t say ‘Oh, it’s not really race, it’s class. Oh, it’s not race, it’s gender. Oh, it’s not race, it’s the cookie monster’ ”. She also uses humor and satire when she talks about being a black customer in a restaurant:

If you go to eat in a restaurant, please tip generously. Otherwise the ne...