The Languages of Urban Africa (Advances in Sociolinguistics)

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. Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 7 Notes on Contributors......Page 8 1 Introduction to the languages of urban Africa......Page 14 2 The historical dynamic of multilingualism in Accra......Page 32 3 The story of old-urban vernaculars in North Africa......Page 45 4 The spread of Lingala as a lingua franca in the Congo Basin......Page 63 5 Senegal’s early cities and the making of an urban language......Page 84 6 Discourse, community, identity: processes of linguistic homogenization in Bamako......Page 99 7 The multiple facets of the urban language form, Nouchi......Page 116 8 On assessing the ethnolinguistic vitality of Ga in Accra......Page 128 9 Multilingualism and language use in Porto Novo......Page 144 10 Language choice in Dar es Salaam’s billboards......Page 165 11 Innovations on the fringes of the Kiswahili-speaking world......Page 191 12 Polarizing and blending: compatible practices in a bilingual urban community in Cape Town......Page 204 References......Page 223 B......Page 242 D......Page 243 F......Page 244 I......Page 245 L......Page 246 M......Page 247 O......Page 248 S......Page 249 V......Page 250 Z......Page 251 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 Presents a series of geographically diverse case studies that examine various issues involved in the study of urban African languages. This book focuses 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. Edited By Fiona Mc Laughlin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.