Africa: Challenges of Multilingualism

The book presents a collection of papers in English, French and German, which touch on a wide variety of cultural, political, and educational ramifications of multilingualism in Africa. Apart from the general introduction, all contributions stem from African scholars representing their inside perspective on matters. The contributions refer to sociolinguistic situations primarily in Benin, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Togo. They deal with aspects of language contact and language change, language empowerment and protection of linguistic diversity, linguistic landscape and language legitimization, regional integration, HIV/AIDS communication, and language issues in education from primary to tertiary level. A special sub-focus is on the teaching of foreign languages such as German in Africa. The book contains 12 contributions in English, three in French, and two in German.

Claus Altmayer is Professor of German as a Second Language at the Herder Institut of Leipzig University (Germany), where he currently holds the office of Vice Rector. H. Ekkehard Wolff has retired as Professor from the Chair of African Linguistics at Leipzig University in 2009. Together, they coordinate the German-African Network of Alumnae and Alumni (GANAA) on Multilingualism and Language Policies in Africa.

Contents: H. Ekkehard Wolff: Multilingualism and Language Policies in Africa, with Particular Reference to Language-in-Education Issues - Sena Yawo Akakpo-Numado/Tchotcho Folly : Impact des langues étrangères d’enseignement sur les langues et cultures locales ; cas du français au Togo - Papa Oumar Fall: The Ethnolinguistic Classification of Seereer in Question - Essodina Kokou Perekewezima : Les langues africaines et les autres langues en Afrique Sub-saharienne : naissance d’un « booster néo-langagier » chez les jeunes africains - Toussaint Yaovi Tchitchi : Multilinguisme et convergence culturelle en Afrique - Secoum Bocoum: National Languages Policy in Education in Mali - Patrick Musyoka Kiliku: The Language Factor in the Integration Matrix: The Case of the Eastern African Community Language Policy - Abdelrahim Hamid Mugaddam: Language Policy in the Sudan: From Independence to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement - Tom Onditi Luoch: Safeguarding Multilingualism: The Need for a Language Policy to Protect Diversity in Kenya - John Obiero Ogone: Devolution and its Implications to the Indigenous Languages of Kenya - Alice Wachira: Zur Sprachenpolitik in Afrika am Beispiel Kenias - Akila Ahouli: Fremdsprachendidaktik im multilingualen Kontext. Zur Theorie einer Didaktik des Deutschen als Tertiärsprache in Afrika - Rolf Annas: From Bilingual Classes to Separate Streams - Thoughts on Language Policy at Stellenbosch University - Theodorus Du Plessis: The Politics of Language Delegitimation - A Case Study on Language Regulation for the Motor-Vehicle Registration System of the Multilingual Free State Province of South Africa - Russell Kaschula: Challenging the Forked Tongue of Multilingualism: Scholarship in African Languages at South African Universities - Saudah Namyalo: HIV/AIDS Communication in Uganda: Facts and Perspective - Jane Akinyi Ngala Oduor: The Anticipated Benefits of Multilingualism in Education in Kenya.