West Africa, English in

This entry surveys English in West Africa. “English in West Africa” is a broad concept; it encompasses Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and Expanding Circle varieties as well as pidgin and creole varieties. The main focus here lies on countries associated with Inner and Outer Circle varieties, that is, the so‐called “Anglophone” countries. However, note is also taken of English in the Francophone countries and the Lusophone country that exist in the region. Given that the specificities and distinctive features of the Englishes spoken in the Anglophone countries are discussed in separate entries of this encyclopedia, this entry takes a broader perspective and considers commonalities in terms of history, sociolinguistic contexts, linguistic features, and cultural conceptualization encoded in language.