De la pragmatique de la violence langagière à la violence de la langue dans Allah n’est pas obligé d’Ahmadou Kourouma

This article analyzes the discursive manifestations of violence in Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah n’est pas obligatoire (Allah Is Not Obliged), using Critical Discourse Pragmatics (CDP), Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and Linguistic Pragmatics. The aim is to examine how linguistic choices and speech acts in the text contribute to the construction and propagation of violence. The analysis reveals the use of a hybrid language, mixing French with Malinke expressions. Lexical choices and speech acts participate in a process of dehumanization of the other, thus justifying violence against them. In addition, the repetition of insults and swear words creates a climate where verbal violence becomes commonplace and accepted, legitimizing violence in the characters’ everyday interactions. Some characters also manipulate language to influence the perceptions and beliefs of others, legitimizing acts of violence through moral or religious justifications. By exposing the reader to these linguistic mechanisms of violence, Kourouma invites him to critically reflect on the sociopolitical dynamics of West Africa, thus contributing to a better understanding of the power structures and ideologies that perpetuate violence.