African Voices

What role does language play in development and conflict in Africa? Why have most African states chosen to use the ex-colonial language as the official language and the medium of education? Are indigenous languages as well-equipped as European languages to express complex ideas? What are the implications of the neglect of local languages? These are some of the questions raised in African Voices, a book which challenges the Eurocentric approach to language, and explores Africa's rich linguistic tapestry. 

Covering the general topics of undergraduate linguistics courses, including phonetics and phonology, lexicology, semantics, and discourse analysis, African Voices is unique in that it places its focus on the languages and linguistics of Africa, giving African examples of linguistic phenomena, describing African language issues and discourse patterns, and providing phonetic descriptions of African languages such as Swahili and Zulu.

Throughout there is a concern with the social, political, and educational implications of language. African Voices explores the effects of contact and competition between languages, cross-cultural communication, and language in education, and seeks solutions to Africa's linguistic problems. Written by experts from South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and Uganda, this stimulating text is vital reading for students of linguistics in Africa and readers interested in African studies.