Language and National Identity in Africa

by Andrew Simpson

Overview

This book focuses on language, culture, and national identity in Africa. Leading specialists examine countries in every part of the continent-Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and the nations of the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. Each chapter describes and examines the country's linguistic and political history and the relation of its languages to national, ethnic, and cultural identities, and assesses the relative status of majority and minority languages and the role of language in ethnic conflict. Of the book's authors, thirteen are from Africa and nine from Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.

Jargon-free, fully referenced, and illustrated with seventeen maps, this book will be of value to a wide range of readers in linguistics, politics, history, sociology, and anthropology. It will interest everyone wishing to understand the dynamic interactions between language and politics in Africa, in the past and now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900199286750
Publication date:	04/15/2008
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Andrew Simpson is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics, University of Southern California. He has studied and travelled extensively in Africa, and is particularly interested in the dynamics of post-colonial language development in West Africa. He is the editor of the Language and National Identity in Asia (OUP 2007).

Table of Contents

List of Maps vii

Notes on Contributors viii

1 Introduction Andrew Simpson 1

2 Egypt: From Egyptian to Pan-Arab Nationalism Yasir Suleiman 26

3 Morocco: Language, Nationalism, and Gender Moha Ennaji Fatima Sadiqi 44

4 Sudan: Majorities, Minorities, and Language Interactions Wendy James 61

5 Senegal: The Emergence of a National Lingua Franca Fiona McLaughlin 79

6 Mali: In Defence of Cultural and Linguistic Pluralism Ingse Skattum 98

7 Sierra Leone: Krio and the Quest for National Integration B. Akíntúndé Oyétádé Victor Fashole Luke 122

8 Ghana: Indigenous Languages, English, and an Emerging National Identity Akosua Anyidoho M. E. Kropp Dakubu 141

9 Ivory Coast: The Supremacy of French Anne Moseng Knutsen 158

10 Nigeria: Ethno-linguistic Competition m the Giant of Africa Andrew Simpson B. Akíntúndé Oyétádé 172

11 Cameroon: Official Bilingualism in a Multilingual State Edmond Bilaa George Echu 199

12 D. R. Congo: Language and 'Authentic Nationalism' Eyamba G. Bokamba 214

13 Kenya: Language and the Search for a Coherent National Identity Chege Githiora 235

14 Tanzania: The Development of Swahili as a National and Official Language Farouk Topan 252

15 The Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia David Appleyard Martin Orwin 267

16 Zambia: 'One Zambia, One Nation, Many Languages' Lutz Marten Nancy C. Kula 291

17 South Africa: The Rocky Road to Nation Building Rajend Mesthrie 314

References 339

Index 363

Editorial Reviews

"Simpson gathered an inspiring and diverse set of chapters on language and national identity in selected African countries. These impressive sixteen chapters, written by leading scholars, vary in style and coverage. However, they are unified by a sociolinguistic and ethnographic focus on politics and identity in pre- and post-colonial Africa. The papers are of exceptional quality and their depth of descriptions represents a copious body of knowledge that exemplifies the extent to which communities are (dis)interested in the elevation of indigenous languages of a national offical language. By capturing the rich and contentious settings in which national identity is (re)constructed, this volume offers a provocatively fascinating read. It seems therefore an absolute success with respect to the goals set forth by the editor." —Linguist List

From the Publisher