International Journal of Language and Literature June 2018, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 29-37 ISSN: 2334-234X (Print), 2334-2358 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v6n1a5 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/ijll.v6n1a5 Language, Identity and the Cultural Context of Names in Selected Nigerian Novels Chibuike Smart Mbarachi 1 & Esther Igwenyi 2 Abstract Names are a reflection of a people's language and culture hence novelists often adopt names to capture their sociocultural background, the society in which their texts are set, or the background of their fictional characters. Using the framework of Anthroponomastics which leans on linguistic anthropology, this study examines names in four selected Nigerian novels, namely Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah, and Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun. The analysis of the names extracted from the novels shows that in names, language and culture intertwine to bequeath an identity to the named person. This identity may mirror the expected character, roles or the circumstances surrounding the conception and birth of the named one, or may generally reflect the worldview of his/her society. The meaning of names is contextual and derives from a society’s cultural and sociolinguistic reservoir which is accessible to members whenever they need names that capture their intended meaning. The names in the novels also indicate the individual and the group identity of the bearers and their society, but expressed through language and they often have multi-faceted meanings. Keywords: names, language, culture, identity, worldview 1.0 Introduction Naming, according to Deluzain (1996) is a universal process that differs significantly from culture to culture on how they are given. Its primary purpose in every culture is to linguistically and appropriately label an individual. In other words, naming is a cultural construct of identifying a person through the employment of the cultural strategies in the given society and its realisation through language. Naming is one of the practices that emphasise the mutual relationship that exist between language and culture, wherein culture embodies language, while language expresses culture (Mbarachi, 2014). Names mean more than words used for identification purposes (Guma, 2001; Lamidi & Aboh, 2011), but oftentimes, reflect the circumstances of a child’s birth, the parent’s perception of the child, their ideology of parenting, the expectation of both the parents and the extended family members on the role the child is to play in the family, the community, as well as the society. Thus, names are used in every culture and are of great importance to the giver, the named one and the society. Dehnart (2009) posits that names communicate much more than a label, but equally depict who the individual is, both to his family and to others, as well as establish the individual’s reputation which is recalled whenever the name is thought of or spoken. The import of Dehnart’s (2009) view is that while the name identifies the person to whom it is given, the continuous use of the name communicates the whole personality of the individual as well as the identity of his environment or society. Through names, we can identify where a person comes from, hence, they (names) reflect both the linguistic and the cultural identity of the bearer. Some previous studies on names exist in the literature. For instance, Agyekum’s (2006) study considers the Akan names of Ghana as sociocultural tags that have meanings and perform sociocultural functions. He attributes religious names (Christian and Islamic) as the outcome of imported religions in Ghana which add to the existing typologies of names and increase the adoption of multiple names that often give prestige to the bearer's social standing when acquired through virtuous means but debases the bearer when acquired through vicious means. 1 Department of English, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. Email: smbarachi@gmail.com 2 Department of English, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria