New Tongue by Elizabeth Kamara is one of the six African poems prescribed for WAEC and NECO Literature-in-English from 2026 to 2030. It paints a sad picture of young Africans who have turned their backs on their language, their elders and their traditions. This guide gives you everything you need in one place.

All line numbers follow the official WAEC text of the poem, which has five stanzas and 46 lines.

New Tongue by Elizabeth Kamara: quick facts

What the poem is about

The speaker watches a new generation that has fallen in love with everything foreign. They speak a new language, dance new dances and think in new ways. In the process, they have thrown away the old songs, the old ties and the old respect for elders.

As the poem goes on, the picture grows darker. The fire of change burns family bonds to ashes. Society turns cold, and everyone lives only for himself. By the end, the young have locked away their culture and moved into the future without a backward glance. The speaker does not celebrate this change; she mourns it.

Stanza-by-stanza outline

Stanza 1 (lines 1–13). A new generation speaks a new language and dances new dances. New modes of thinking have reshaped their minds, and the old songs fade into forgotten dreams. Ties of family and friendship loosen, break and burn, and their ashes sink into a bottomless sea.

Stanza 2 (lines 14–24). This generation ignores the bonds of family, tradition and heritage. Respect for the old has gone. Instead, their minds turn only inwards, like the inside of clothes pressed against the body.

Stanza 3 (lines 25–29). Elders have no place, not even at the edge of their thoughts. The young close their ears to the old language and customs.

Stanza 4 (lines 30–41). Taking pride in a borrowed tongue and culture, each person lives for himself. A strange coldness settles over society, which the speaker compares to snow on a mountain and to a stormy July day.

Stanza 5 (lines 42–46). In borrowed shoes, the young dance on. Long ago, they crossed their own Red Sea, so there is no way back. Finally, they lock their culture away and glide into the future without looking back.

For a fuller explanation of each section, read our New Tongue poem summary.

Key phrases explained

New tongue (line 1). This is a foreign language, but it also suggests a new way of thinking and living.

Borrowed tongue and culture (line 30). The word borrowed shows that these ways belong to someone else. Borrowed things are never truly your own.

Borrowed shoes (line 42). Shoes carry a person forward. Here, the young walk into the future on foreign feet.

Every man for himself (lines 31–34). Community life has given way to selfishness, with each person living alone.

Parted the red sea (line 43). Like the Israelites leaving Egypt, the young have crossed over, and the way back has closed behind them.

Why New Tongue by Elizabeth Kamara still matters

Although Kamara sets the poem in West Africa, its message feels very current. Today, many young people speak foreign languages more easily than their mother tongue. Trends from abroad spread quickly online, while local stories and songs fade. Parents and grandparents often feel left behind. That is why so many readers see their own families in this poem, and why it remains a favourite in classrooms.

Main themes

Loss of culture and identity. The young abandon their language, songs and customs for foreign ones.

The generation gap. Elders lose their place, pushed out of young people’s minds.

Breakdown of family and communal ties. The poem shows bonds of family and friendship breaking and burning.

Individualism. Each person lives for himself, with no concern for others.

Western influence. The young borrow new ways that are not truly their own.

Irreversible change. The generation moves forward without a backward glance.

Our guide explains each theme with line references. Read it here: themes in New Tongue.

Key poetic devices

Repetition. The word new appears again and again in lines 1–4, and borrowed returns in lines 30, 42 and 43.

Anaphora. Lines 16–18 repeat Of family, Of tradition, Of heritage. Lines 32–34 build the pattern For himself, By himself, Of himself.

Simile. Minds turn inwards like the insides of clothes (line 23). Coldness descends like a snow-covered mountain (line 35).

Metaphor. Burning family ties to ashes (lines 9–10) stands for their destruction. Hanging the last lock on their culture (line 44) shows it shut away for good.

Allusion. Parting the Red Sea (line 43) recalls the Bible story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt, a crossing with no return.

Personification. Borrowed shoes are said to dance (line 42).

Metonymy. The word tongue stands for language (lines 1, 28 and 30).

See every device with examples and effects in our guide to the poetic devices in New Tongue.

Tone, mood and structure

Tone. The speaker sounds sad, critical and disapproving. She laments the loss of tradition, and she clearly judges the young for abandoning their roots.

Mood. Most readers come away thoughtful and uneasy. The storm imagery in lines 38–41 adds a sense of disorder and danger.

Structure. Kamara writes in free verse, with many short lines. Some lines hold just two or three words, such as Of family (line 16) or No, (line 26). These short lines slow the reader down and give each idea extra weight. Its five stanzas are uneven, and the poem moves from description, through criticism, to a final image of no return.

About the poet

Elizabeth L. A. Kamara is a Sierra Leonean poet and educator. She grew up in the east end of Freetown and attended Holy Trinity Primary School and Annie Walsh Memorial School. Later, she studied at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, where she became a lecturer in Literature in English and Head of the English Unit.

Kamara has published three poetry collections: Distilled, To Cross for a Daughter and Stolen Laughter. Translators have carried some of her poems into Spanish and Greek. She also founded the Poetry Reading Club at Fourah Bay College.

Sample exam question

How to answer questions on this poem

Start by naming the poet and the poem, then answer the question directly. Next, make three or four points, each supported by a line reference. Explain what each piece of evidence shows, rather than retelling the poem. For practice, try our New Tongue questions and answers.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote New Tongue?

Elizabeth L. A. Kamara, a Sierra Leonean poet and lecturer at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.

How many stanzas and lines does New Tongue have?

It has five stanzas and 46 lines in the official WAEC text.

What is New Tongue about?

It describes a young African generation that abandons its own language, elders and traditions for borrowed foreign ways.

What does the new tongue mean?

It stands for a foreign language, and more broadly for a borrowed culture and way of thinking.

Is New Tongue on the WAEC syllabus?

Yes. New Tongue by Elizabeth Kamara is one of the African poems prescribed for WAEC and NECO from 2026 to 2030.