Some challenges of language documentation in African multilingual settings
Domain:
natural language processingRecord type:
paper
Creator:
Emm
Publisher:
Joh
Host:
This paper questions mainstream theoretical and methodological frameworks
which underlie the work of language documentation (LD) in Africa. It further
seeks to ask the question what is/should be the ultimate aim of LD, especially
in inherently multilingual settings where language use is conceived more in
terms of repertoires than clear cut language codes, and where each repertoire
may trigger a different sense of belonging? Drawing from personal documentation
experience in two multilingual communities of Cameroon, this research
shows that, if not informed sociolinguistically, LD efforts may fail to address
that which truly is at stake in the life of a multilingual speech community. The
paper ends by suggesting that, in addition to being a reactive undertaking, LD
should also encompass a pro-active component, one which does not only aim
at rescuing an allegedly dying language, but also seeks to understand the power
dynamics of language repertoires in critical multilingual settings of Arica.
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