Khoekhoegowab English of Namibia: Features and Categorisation Within a World Englishes Framework

This chapter is a case study of a lesser-known variety of English in Namibia, called Khoekhoegowab English (KKGE), an emergent L2 among First Nations/First People speakers of Khoekhoegowab (also known as Nama/Damara). As this language is of the Khoisan phylum (which is believed to contain three disparate language families) rather than the more familiar Bantu languages of southern Africa, KKGE is of interest to African Englishes and World Englishes studies. KKGE exists in a multilingual southern African matrix that includes Afrikaans, other potential varieties of Namibian English and varieties of South African English. This chapter reports on a study by Fitchat (2022), who conducted semi-informal recorded interviews with 38 multilingual participants who reside in a self-sufficient, isolated community. A morphosyntactic overview of the speech data reveals general processes of second language acquisition as well as many influences from Khoekhoegowab, Afrikaans and varieties of South African English. Less expected was the influence of varieties of American English, which also serve as a model via interaction with visiting researchers and various international media, most notably music and television programmes. This chapter attempts to tease out to what extent a variety like KKGE can be situated within extensions of Schneider’s Dynamic Model or whether it is more rooted as a localised contact variety.