Nation Language, Traditional Spiritual Beliefs, and Gender Roles in the Work of Opal Palmer Adisa: A Critical Discourse Analysi

The linguistic research reported here explores how Caribbean writer Opal Palmer Adisa manipulates nation language (Jamaican Creole) and expressions of traditional spiritual beliefs in her creative work in order to comment on gender roles and identity formation in contemporary Jamaican society. The research examines the way in which the language in the texts reflects male/female interaction in Jamaica and critically assesses the power relations and identity politics embodied in the linguistic forms selected. The research also considers how references to traditional spiritual beliefs and practices are employed to underscore and explain the gender practices of the society. The analysis draws on theoretical work in sociolinguistics, critical discourse analysis, and cultural studies pertaining to language and gender, language and power, language and resistance, and language and identity.