# Language Carries the Values Through Which We Perceive Ourselves by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o > “Language carries culture, and culture carries, particularly through orature and literature, the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.” > **— Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o**, *Decolonising the Mind, 1986* ## Sources and Context - **Primary publication:** Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, [“The Language of African Literature”](https://newleftreview.org/issues/i150/articles/thiongo-ngugi-wa-the-language-of-african-literature), *New Left Review* I/150 (March–April 1985), section “Language as Culture.” The essay was reprinted as chapter 1 of *Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature* (London: James Currey; Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya; Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1986). - **Exact original:** “Language carries culture, and culture carries, particularly through orature and literature, the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.” No editorial change. - **Context:** Ngũgĩ distinguishes language as a means of communication from language as a carrier of culture, and argues that colonial education in English alienated African children from the language of their homes and communities. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/War With Empire|War With Empire]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/war with empire/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] - **Article:** [[articles/Kybernetik Anthropology and The Colonial Architecture of Digital Intelligence|Kybernetik Anthropology and The Colonial Architecture of Digital Intelligence]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Authorship of the West|Authorship of the West]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o|Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o]] - [[wiki/Linguistic Imperialism|Linguistic Imperialism]] - [[wiki/Language|Language]] - [[wiki/Semiotic Colonization|Semiotic Colonization]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Language carries culture, and culture carries, particularly through orature and literature, the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.” — Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Decolonising the Mind, 1986 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-ngugi-wa-thiongo-language-carries-culture-values ```