dc.contributor.author |
Stell, Gerald
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2015-08-19T07:06:54Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2015-08-19T07:06:54Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2014-06 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
In a context where new English varieties from the Outer Circle have been receiving
increasing attention, I propose to outline a descriptive approach to their uses and functions on the basis of
their patterns of co-occurrence with local languages across intra and inter-ethnic boundaries. The case study
I offer is Namibia, a multiethnic and multilingual African country where English has been the sole official
language since 1990 without having had much local history prior to that date. The general question that I
pose is to what extent and how English is used in informal interactions in Namibia. Considering Namibia’s
ethnolinguistic diversity as well as the locally widespread practice of code-switching, the questions I more
specifically ask are: What are the patterns of code-switching with which English finds itself associated
both within and across Namibia’s inter-ethnic boundaries, and how can they be characterized in terms
of social function? On the basis of a corpus of intra- and inter-ethnic interactions involving a range of
Namibian ethnicities, I show evidence of a continuum of linguistic usage ranging from different patterns
of code-switching involving English and local languages to more or less monolingual English varieties.
I finally place that evidence within the perspective of new Englishes theory, emphasizing the possible
relevance of code-switching patterns to the emergence of indigenized English varieties in general, and of
an indigenized Namibian variety in particular. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.librarian |
hb2015 |
en_ZA |
dc.description.uri |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-971X |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation |
Stell, G 2014, 'Uses and functions of English in Namibia's multiethnic setting', World Englishes, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 223-241. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
0883-2919 (print) |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
1467-971X (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.1111/weng.12082 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/49393 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_ZA |
dc.publisher |
Wiley |
en_ZA |
dc.rights |
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article : Uses and functions of English in Namibia's multiethnic settings,
World Englishes, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 223-241, 2014. doi : 10.1111/weng.12082. The definite version is available at : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-971X. |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
English |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Namibia |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Multiethnic settings |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Local languages |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Intra-ethnic boundaries |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Inter-ethnic boundaries |
en_ZA |
dc.title |
Uses and functions of English in Namibia's multiethnic setting |
en_ZA |
dc.type |
Postprint Article |
en_ZA |