1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910163888503321

Autore

Juffermans Kasper

Titolo

Local Languaging, Literacy and Multilingualism in a West African Society / / Kasper Juffermans

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Blue Ridge Summit, PA : , : Multilingual Matters, , [2015]

©2015

ISBN

1-78309-422-2

1-78309-421-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (187 p.)

Collana

Critical Language and Literacy Studies

Disciplina

404/.2096651

Soggetti

Multilingualism - Africa, West

Language and languages - Africa, West

Literacy - Africa, West

Sociolinguistics - Africa, West

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Figures and Tables -- Series Editors’ Preface -- 1. How Many Languages Do You Speak? -- 2. Gambia’s Local Languages -- 3. Englishing and Imaging in the Linguistic Landscape -- 4. Voices on English and Local Languages in Education -- 5. Collaborative Literacy Repertoires -- 6. Writing Mandinka in the Presence of English -- 7. Local Languaging Regimes -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

This book aims to enhance and challenge our understanding of language and literacy as social practice against the background of heightened globalisation. Juffermans presents an ethnographic study of the linguistic landscape of The Gambia, arguing that language should be conceptualised as a verb (languaging) rather than a countable noun (a language, languages). He goes on to argue that sociolinguistics should not be defined as the study of ‘who speaks what language to whom, and when and to what end’ (as Fishman defined it), but as the study of who uses which linguistic features under particular circumstances in a particular place and time. The book is therefore in part an exercise to unpluralise language, which Juffermans argues is



necessary for a more realistic understanding of what language is, what it does, and what people do with it. The book will be of interest to sociolinguistics researchers, especially those focusing on Africa and the global South.