Codeswitching in West Africa

Abstract

This introduction to the International Journal of Bilingualism special issue on “Codeswitching in West Africa” is divided into three parts. The first part presents an overview of West Africa, with particular attention paid to the linguistic diversity and multilingualism that characterize the region. Multilingualism in the region obtains at both the societal and the individual level: as Dakubu ((1997). Korle meets the sea: A sociolinguistic history of Accra. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press) observes, polyglotism is a longstanding characteristic of West African cities. Within this context, intense intrasentential codeswitching is widespread. A taxonomy is presented, with languages characterized as colonial, majority, or minority, and general patterns set forth as to the most common types of codeswitching dyad. The second part of the introduction provides an overview of the research that has been carried out on codeswitching in the region. Special attention is given to the earliest works. Works are divided according to whether their focus was sociolinguistic or structural, but it is to be noted that authors frequently paid crucial attention to both. Finally, in the third part, the introduction presents the five articles that make up the special issue.

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“…Indeed, Dakubu (1997) confirms this claim as he avers that polyglottism is a key linguistic characteristic of West African settlements, particularly cities. Similarly, Amuzu & Singler (2014) agree with Dakubu on that claim, adding that most code switching studies in West Africa always involve majority languages and a colonial. Dagaare is a minority language and its pairing with the colonial language of English makes the study all the more worthwhile.…”

“…Amuzu & Singler (2014) report that there is intense intra-sentential codeswitching in West Africa. This is mainly because, as Dakubu (1997) observes, polyglottism is a major characteristic of West African cities (Amuzu & Singler, 2014). Moreover, Amuzu & Singler (2014) lament the fact that in spite of encouraging numbers of studies of CS in the region, the studies mostly involve language pairs of a majority language and a colonial language.…”

“…This is mainly because, as Dakubu (1997) observes, polyglottism is a major characteristic of West African cities (Amuzu & Singler, 2014). Moreover, Amuzu & Singler (2014) lament the fact that in spite of encouraging numbers of studies of CS in the region, the studies mostly involve language pairs of a majority language and a colonial language. Studies involving language pairs of a minority language and a majority language are scarce while those of a minority language and a colonial language are scarcer (Amuzu & Singler, 2014).…”

Children, language and access to schools in the global South: The case of migrants in Ghana

“…Many migrant parents and children who were interviewed through English spoke other languages including Yoruba, Akan, Kru, Fula, Igbo and Mende. In urban areas, people from West Africa speaking languages other than the official language of communication in school is actually the norm rather than exception considering the linguistic diversity of this subregion which is home to over 500 languages (Amuzu & Singler, 2014).…”

Code-Switching and Code-Mixing: Insights into Portuguese-Umbundu Speakers in Huambo (Angola)

“…Güldemann (2010), on this note, acknowledges the existence of a sizable linguistic region that seems to have developed as a result of contact-induced convergence. Furthermore, according to Amuzu and Singler (2014), colonial languages, whether English, French, or Portuguese, continue to dominate in the realms of formal education and government, and fluency in the relevant one continues to be a prerequisite for membership of a nation's elite throughout West Africa. In fact, the current study is not the first to note that language communication has been convergent for centuries.…”