Speech is highly stylized in Igbo culture, with specific rules
on how to addresses a neighbor, a superior, an ancestral
spirits, and the gods. Respect is usually at the heart of formal
speech. While dialogue is usually direct in its meaning,
speakers often adorn conversations with proverbs or references
to folktales, which play a profound role in shaping Igbo
beliefs. Language, too, has a way of either including or
alienating a listener. The gods have their own language which
lowly humans cannot understand. The Christians speak English and
require an interpreter to communicate with the Umuofia. However,
interpreters are often from different parts of the country and
have noticeable differences in speech. So concepts and
connotations are inevitably lost in translation. The troubles in
Okonkwo and Nwoye’s relationships are the result of bad
communications; neither shares his emotions with each other and
Okonkwo quickly jumps to aggressive physical action, which halts
communication.