Youth Language Practices and Urban Language Contact in Africa (Cambridge Approaches to Language Contact)

The ways in which young people use language provides fascinating insights into language practice and contact. Written by a team of key scholars in the field, this book describes and theorises 'male, in-group, street-aligned, youth language practice' in urban centres in Africa, exploring the creative use of language, and its function in peer sociality and contestation of social identities. The book contributes to theoretical debates surrounding multimodal language, language contact, standards and variation, and language change. It highlights that 'youth languages' are not to be confused with the urban languages, varieties, and vernaculars of the general population, and that claims of autonomy and candidacy as national languages are flawed. The book demonstrates that the youthful practices of males are nevertheless worthy of scholarly attention: the framing of youth languages within the field of language contact will stimulate situated and comprehensive studies of the role and significance of youth practices. Introduction / Rajend Mesthrie, Ellen Hurst-Harosh & Heather Brookes -- Language contact and structure in urban iIsiXhosa and its relation to Tsotsitaal / Silvester Ron Simango -- Not "deep" but still isiXhosa : young people's urban isiXhosa and its relation to Tsotsitaal / Tessa Dowling -- Rethinking youth language practices in South Africa : an interactional sociocultural perspective / Heather Brookes -- Tsotsitaals, urban vernaculars, and contact linguistics / Rajend Mesthrie -- Grammatical hybridity in Camfranglais? / Roland Kiesslin -- Sheng and Engsh in Kenya's public spaces and media : from Nganya and Mathree to broadcast Proggiez / Maarten Mous & Sandra Barasa -- Exploring hybridity in Ivorian French and Nouchi / Akissi Béatrice Boutin -- Authenticity and the object analysis : methods of youth language data collection / Ellen Hurst-Harosh & Eyo Offion Mensah 04.0_pp_vi_vi_Copyright_page 1 05.0_pp_vii_viii_Contents 7 06.0_pp_ix_ix_Figures 9 07.0_pp_x_x_Tables 10 08.0_pp_xi_xiv_Contributors 11 09.0_pp_xv_xviii_Series_Editors_Foreword 15 10.0_pp_xix_xx_Preface 19 11.0_pp_xxi_xxii_Abbreviations 21 12.0_pp_1_12_Introduction 23 13.0_pp_13_38_Language_Contact_and_Structure_in_Urban_IsiXhosa_and_Associated_Youth_Languages 35 14.0_pp_39_65_Not_Deep_but_Still_IsiXhosa 61 15.0_pp_66_93_Rethinking_Youth_Language_Practices_in_South_Africa 88 16.0_pp_94_114_Tsotsitaals_Urban_Vernaculars_and_Contact_Linguistics 116 17.0_pp_115_140_Grammatical_Hybridity_in_Camfranglais 137 18.0_pp_141_158_Sheng_and_Engsh_in_Kenyas_Public_Spaces_and_Media 163 19.0_pp_159_181_Exploring_Hybridity_in_Ivorian_French_and_Nouchi 181 20.0_pp_182_200_Authenticity_and_the_Object_of_Analysis 204 21.0_pp_201_206_Index 223 "This book describes and theorises "male, in-group, street-aligned, youth language practice" in urban centres in Africa. The research presented here by key scholars is systematic work that provides a fuller picture of these practices in relation to other language and linguistic developments, as these relate to large scale and sustained language contact--" Provided by publisher This fascinating study explores male youth language practices in different urban centres in Africa, showing their relation to other urban languages, vernaculars and varieties, and testing and contesting claims of their autonomy and candidacy as national languages. It will provide new insights for scholars of language contact and sociolinguistics.