Language and Identity in Postcolonial Indian Literature: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract

This article examines the complex interrelationship between language and identity formation in postcolonial Indian literature from independence to the present day. Through critical analysis of key literary texts by authors including Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, and Jhumpa Lahiri, this study investigates how linguistic choices function as sites of cultural negotiation, resistance, and identity construction. Employing theoretical frameworks from postcolonial theory, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies, this research argues that language in Indian postcolonial literature operates simultaneously as colonial inheritance, tool of resistance, and medium for creating new expressions of hybrid identity. The findings reveal sophisticated linguistic strategies—including code-switching, vernacular incorporation, syntactic innovation, and translingual practices—through which Indian authors challenge Western hegemonic narratives while fashioning distinctive postcolonial literary voices. The article concludes that these linguistic innovations reflect broader cultural and political negotiations in postcolonial India, where language remains inextricably linked to questions of national identity, cultural sovereignty, and the ongoing legacies of colonial rule.