This article examines the relationship between language and gender- based violence with aim of establishing the crucial role language plays in the initiation, execution, perpetuation and resistance of gender-based violence (GBV hereafter), using Buchi Emecheta’s novel, The Joys of Motherhood, as a case study. GBV is no doubt a double faceted phenomenon as it affects both genders, but the female gender is the most vulnerable. The paper adopted Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as a framework, and equally used qualitative research method to interrogate instances of GBV with special focus on the linguistic strategies employed by the male characters in the novel to exert power and dominance over women resulting in severe gender abuse. The analysis focused on how characters adjust their use of language at different points in time to align with or challenge the societal norms and cultural expectations of gender roles in a highly patriarchal setting. The result of the analysis indicates that communication accommodation with regard to GBV in the novel manifests at two levels: the convergence and the divergence levels, the former is used to perpetuate GBV while the later serves as a tool for its resistance. The study therefore, underscores the need to understand the role of language in perpetuating gender-based violence and calls for the development of communication strategies that can facilitate gender equality and promote non-violent communication.