Language

Choice of words

The short story “Chameleon” by Ranbir Sahota includes a mixture of narrative and dialogue. Most of the story is written in typical British English. However, there are also some words from other languages.

Words like “behta” (p. 2, l. 27) and “munja” (p. 3, l. 32) and references to Indian clothes and food like “sari” (p. 3, l. 12) or “samosas” (p. 7, l. 33) help readers visualize the physical setting and give the characters more authenticity.

Words in French are employed when Rita and Sanjay discuss in the kitchen: “voiture” (p. 8, l. 22) or “mais oui” (p. 8, l. 23), emphasizing Rita’s educational background and her joking conversation with Sanjay.

At the same time, Rita often uses colloquial words and slang such as “shit” (p. 1, l. 7), “pissed” (p. 2, l. 26), “bloody” (p. 2, l. 28), “shit-hole” (p. 7, l. 2), and “fuck off” (p. 7, l. 7). They help create British humor while also suggesting the character’s frustration as well as her integration into English culture.

Metaphors

The story sometimes employs metaphoric...