Table Of ContentMonolingualism and Linguistic Exhibitionism in Fiction
This page intentionally left blank
Monolingualism and
Linguistic Exhibitionism
in Fiction
Anjali Pandey
Salisbury University, USA
© Anjali Pandey 2016
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2016 978-1-137-34035-1
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6 –1 0 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identifi ed as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2016 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the
United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-56705-8 ISBN 978-1-137-34036-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137340368
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pandey, Anjali.
Monolingualism and linguistic exhibitionism in fi ction / Anjali Pandey.
pages cm
Summary: "With over 7000 languages in use world-wide, how do some languages
acquire hegemonic status? What role does prize-winning fi ction play in creating
linguistic taste and distaste? How are linguistic wars for global prominence literarily
and linguistically inscribed in literature? Monolingualism and Linguistic Exhibitionism
in Fiction frames these questions within the post-global moment, focusing on the
increasing presence of cosmetic multilingualism—or linguistic exhibitionism—in prize-
winning fi ction. The study offers a timely interdisciplinary-based framework, inclusive of
the macro-production of literary commerce, and the micro-linguistics of globalization.
Through analysis of multilingual strategies deployed by fi ve celebrated transnational
authors of the past decade, this book demonstrates paradigm shifts towards a
transparent-turn in 21st century prize-winning fi ction. This book will appeal to students
and scholars of applied linguistics, multilingualism, stylistics, postcolonial studies and
cultural studies"— Provided by publisher.
1. Multilingualism and literature. 2. Linguistic analysis (Linguistics) 3. Frames
(Linguistics) 4. Oriental literature—History and criticism. I. Title.
PN171.M93P36 2015
823'.91409—dc23 2015023412
Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.
For M atthew— my one, my only
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of Figures viii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Languages in Literature 1
1 The Place of Languages in the Space of Post- Globalism:
Bilingualism, Bullhorns, and Blunders 10
2 Award-C ultures in the Era of P ost- Globalization:
Prize- Winning in a ‘Flat’- W orld 44
3 In-‘Visible’ Multilingualness: Linguistic Exhibitionism
in the P ost- Global Turn 83
4 Outsourcing English: Liberty, Linguistic Lust, and
Loathing in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger 125
5 Curried English: Flawed Fluency, Markedness, and
Diglossia in Brick Lane 166
6 Language Liquidation versus Language Appropriation:
Tracing the Trajectory of Linguistic Death and Unease
in Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri 202
7 Linguistic Insecurity and Linguistic Imperialism:
Resuscitating Renaissance ‘ Re- Linguiscism’ in
Salman Rushdie’s The Enchantress of Florence 239
Conclusion: What Is Linguistic Exhibitionism Good For? 266
References 276
Index 292
vii
List of Figures
3.1 Types of linguistic exhibitionism 92
3.2 Taxonomy of strategies of linguistic exhibitionism 97
viii
Acknowledgments
Authoring a book is analogous to going on a journey. You know where
you want to go, but you never really can anticipate any of the challenges,
or even the triumphs, that lie ahead. Writing this book was an intellectual
test, especially since it required a true engagement in interdisciplinarianism.
While I am a linguist by training, and thus used to inductive- based analyti-
cal frameworks, the d ata- set in this scholarly endeavor was literature— whose
‘reading’ often entails a more deductive orientation. I would like to start by
thanking theorists from the various interdisciplinary frameworks consulted.
They have provided me with a metalanguage of access. I would also like to
thank all of the literary artists whose works I have analyzed in this study.
They are all incredibly gifted writers in their own right, and deserving of
their global recognition. As an academic, whose scholarly duty is critique,
I want to preface the book by saying that while the investigations in all of
the chapters were approached from the singular focus of multilingual rendi-
tion, the aesthetic beauty embedded in these works was an area I was unable
to comment on as this was beyond the scope of the current book.
An endeavor such as this with years of research could not have been pos-
sible without the kind assistance of many. I want to first thank the team
at Palgrave Macmillan: Olivia Middleton for giving me a chance; Elizabeth
Forrest whose meticulous assistance ensured that the dream was in fact real-
ized; and Rebecca Brennan for so graciously taking on a project that has
demanded endless patience. Many thanks also to the new linguistics team—
in particular, Ms. Chloe Fitzsimmons and Ms. Esme Chapman for bringing
the book to fruition. Without the kind assistance of all of these amazing
professionals, this book would never be written. Last but not least, and, in
true irony for a book examining the multinational dynamics of the pub-
lishing industry, I want to thank the amazing typesetting team in India—
headed by Ms. Priya Devaraj. My gratitude for her meticulous attention to
detail, professionalism, and patience. For all the countless others assisting in
the production of this book—spread across three different continents—my
immense gratitude.
I would also like to thank colleagues at Salisbury University who have
inquired about the manuscript and its progress, and in a sense egged me on
to finish. I thank all of my countless students, graduate and undergradu-
ate, who have kept me on my toes all of these years. Without their bright
ideas and youthful optimism, I could never be the teacher I strive to be.
Appreciation to Amy Jones, of the Salisbury University library, for ensuring
that I was able to lay my hands on books that she kindly sought out from
libraries all over the country. Finally, my indebtedness to the international
ix
