The Ethiopian Engl ish language learner seems to be less fluent in the freshman classrnover the last couple of years. What appears to be the root cause of these low grades is thernlack of motivation in the language classroom due to the neglect of culturally appropriaternmaterial and the absence of a language-based approach.rnThis thesis attempts to explore the contributions of African literary texts to thernlanguage classroom arguing that a socio-cultural approach to language learning is more viab le.rnEthiopian English does not exist as an institutionalized variety , however, within a Pan-Africanrnperspective the Ethiopian learner can identify with African Literatures in English and beginrnfrom a familiar schematic reality. This authentic schema , apart from motivating the learner,rnwill help in the efficient use of their top-down processing, a quality that at present is lacking.rnAn understanding of African Literature is also approached through an attempt of it's definitionrnfrom a historical perspective, an asset the language learner can call upon from his culturalrncompetence and which also powerfully influences the rules of discourse in communication.rnFurthermore, African literature is based on the supposition that there is a constant interactionrnbetween social and linguistic aspects in regards to the understanding of language. Thereforernthe educational goal is based on the understanding of cultural assumptions in the classroom,rnand views culture as a process of understanding and tolerating different perceptions. Africanrnliterature, in this thesis , focuses on problematizing major themes and therefore, stimulatingrndiscussion dependent on cultural awareness and based on dialogue and negotiation. Africanrnliterature is therefore viewed as a stepping stone from which the Ethiopian language learnerrnbegins from and moves towards other forms of discourse, that is, from the familiar towardsrnthe unfamiliar.rnThe learner approaches African literary texts from a language-based perspective withrnan emphasis on communication and negotiation as a bases for language awareness. In otherwords, African literary texts are seen from three perspectives: as text, as message, and asrndiscourse. African literary text as text enables the language learner to examine language asrnsystem, and through a stylistic analys is be able to explore the di fferent levels of language.rnHowever, though description is a fund amental beginning towards a closer understanding, thernlearner has to move on to the next level of text as message. On this level the student exploresrnmeaning in text on the semantic level and understands how the wri ter transmits his messagernthrough language. The third and most important aspect however, is through interpretativernprocedures where text is seen as discourse and the learner's response is most valued, here arnpragmatic understanding of meaning is explored. In tlus case meaning only exists withrnlearners active engagement with the text and in the ultimate pursuit of communication.rnCommunication in turn, develops a better understanding of language. As students are equippedrnwith their schematic knowledge, bottom-up process ing or explicit awareness of language isrndealt with in the tasks. The tasks therefore, have a major role to play in language learning,rnfirstly , they are a means through which the learner communicates and negotiates meaning- anrneducational va lue, and secondly the learner is exposed to a more explicit awareness ofrnlanguage- a pedagogic va lue.rnBased on the assumptions of African literary texts and language-based approaches, thisrnthes is also explores the motivational factors that influence language learning. The researcherrnfee ls that by using African literary texts and a language-based methodology the languagernlearner will be more motivated to learn a foreign language. Models exploring motivation arernreviewed and a synthesis between a psycho-educational model by Lambert and a socioeducationalrnmodel by Gardner seem to be most relevant for this research. In this approach,rncultural beliefs have a great influence on individual differences of which attitude andrnmotivation are a part. Attitude and the aspect of orientation, which includes integration andrninstrumentality, seem to have a direct influence on motivation and situational anxiety,rninfluencing foreign language learning. The ultimate outcome of learning a foreign languagernis refl ected on self- identity both in linguistic and non-linguistic terms. Therefore, Africanrnliterary texts, based on the social milieu of the learners, seems to assure that se lf-identity and may probably help to motivate second language acquisition. However the Ethiopian situationrnis unique because English is used only as a medium of instruction, questioning whether thernintegrative motive is the most influential in language acquisition.rnTo conclude, the researcher feels that the use of African literary texts in the languagernclassroom with a focus on a language-based approach communication, can help to fosterrnmotivation and break the 'culture of silence' in the Ethiopian language learner.