Abstract:
In this paper we present a case study of interethnic relations through language variation involving two
population groups supposedly belonging to one single speech community, namely the White and
Coloured Afrikaans speakers of Namibia. The specific question that we wish to tackle in reference to
that community is the extent to which Coloured and White identities are differentiable via linguistic
means and how those identities are negotiated in intergroup settings where Coloured and White
Afrikaans speakers are in mutual contact. The methodology used to answer this question is largely based
on Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT), which entails the characterization of intergroup
language variation in terms of convergence, divergence and maintenance, as well as the characterization
of speakers’ group identities in terms of ‘subordinate’ and ‘superordinate’ identities.
