Overview

The Languages of Urban Africa consists of a series of case studies that address four main themes.  The first is the history of African urban languages. The second set focus on theoretical issues in the study of African urban languages, exploring the outcomes of intense multilingualism and also the ways in which urban dwellers form their speech communities.  The volume then moves on to explore the relationship between language and identity in the urban setting.  The final two case studies in the volume address the evolution of urban languages in Africa. This rich set of chapters examine languages and speech communities in ten geographically diverse African urban centres, covering almost all regions of the continent.  Half involve Francophone cities, the other half, Anglophone.  This exciting volume shows us what the study of urban African languages can tell us about language and about African societies in general.   It is essential reading for upper level undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in sociolinguistics, especially those interested in the language of Africa.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Fiona Mc Laughlin
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.532kg
ISBN:  

9781847061164

ISBN 10:   1847061168
Pages:   252
Publication Date:   06 June 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements \ Notes on Contributors \ 1. Introduction to the languages of urban Africa Fiona Mc Laughlin (University of Florida, USA)  \ 2. The historical dynamic of multilingualism in Accra M.E. Kropp Dakubu (University of Ghana-Legon, Ghana) \ 3. The Story of Old-Urban Vernaculars in North Africa Atiqa Hachimi (University of Florida, USA) \ 4. The spread of Lingala as a lingua franca in the Congo basin Eyamba G. Bokamba (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) \ 5. Senegal's Early Cities and the Making of an Urban Language, Fiona Mc Laughlin (University of Florida, USA) \ 6. Discourses, community, identity: Processes of linguistic homogenization in Bamako, Mali Cécile Canut (CNRS-Paris, France) \ 7. The Multiple Facets of the Urban Language Form, Nouchi Sabine Kube-Barth \ 8. On assessing the ethnolinguistic vitality of Ga in Accra James Essegbey (University of Florida, USA) \ 9. Multilingualism and language use in Porto Novo Wale Adeniran (Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria) \ 10. Language choice in Dar es Salaam's billboards Charles Bwenge (University of Florida, USA) \ 11. Innovations on the Fringes of the Kiswahili Speaking World Haig Der-Houssikian (University of Florida, USA) \ 12. Polarizing and blending: compatible practices in a bilingual urban community in Cape Town Kay McCormick (University of Cape Town, South Africa) \ References Index

Reviews

'McLaughlin's edited volume, at long last, provides us an opportunity to comprehend the multilingual complexity of Africa's growing urban communities.'<br>- David Dwyer, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, USA

'McLaughlin's edited volume, at long last, provides us an opportunity to comprehend the multilingual complexity of Africa's growing urban communities.'- David Dwyer, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, USA

Author Information

Fiona Mc Laughlin is an Associate Professor of African Languages and Linguistics at the University of Florida, USA, where she currently heads a research project on the languages of urban Africa.

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