This book provides a comprehensive introduction to some of the central features of language in a wide variety of postcolonial texts. The Language of Postcolonial Literatures draws on a range of writers, from Jean Rhys and Derek Walcott to Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Nuruddin Farah and Salman Rushdie, to show how English has been shaped by and had to contend with other languages in former British colonies. Exploring literatures from a range of countries including India, Nigeria, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Caribbean, Talib shows how individuals retain cultural and national identity in the face of such changes. The book further demonstrates that language is one of the central concerns of postcolonial literatures.