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.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781783094219
Publisert
2016
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Multilingual Matters (NBN)
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter