239613 Language Contact in West Africa (S) (SoSe 2013)

West Africa is one of the most multilingual regions in the world and thus of prime interest for the investigation of language contact. The English language was first heard along the West African coast in the 16th century. In the beginning it was used as lingua franca in trade, and therefore the earliest contacts between the Europeans and the coastal populations led to the development of language forms, which were the predecessors of the pidgins and creoles that characterize West Africa today. Furthermore - as a result of colonisation - English has become an official language in many West African nations. The language therefore holds a strong position as a widely used second (and sometimes even first) language in the region. However, the degree to which English is spoken as a native or non-native variety in the various West African countries depends mostly on the colonial history, linguistic situation, language policy and language planning programs of these countries respectively.
In this course, we will therefore investigate such historical and political issues but we will also study language contact phenomena at a more general level, taking into account findings from historical linguistics, dialectology, language typology and sociolinguistics. This will include the emergence and features of the ‘New Englishes’ and English-based Pidgins and Creoles, as well as the linguistic status of so-called mixed languages such as Camfranglais.

Please note: This course is designed to complement the advanced literary course on “West-African Anglophone Fiction” by Dr. Michael Kunze (Fri 12-14).