Namibian English

Namibia was one of the last countries on the African continent to gain independence. With independence from South Africa in 1990, English has become the sole official language of this country. Since then, the variety of English spoken in Namibia has been emancipating itself from South African Englishes, and therefore Namibian English is described as an emerging variety of southern African English. This entry gives an overview on the historical background of this development and positions the language within the linguistic ecology of the country. This includes reporting on language attitudes towards this language as well as language functions and identity constructions. This entry furthermore outlines the most important characteristic features of Namibian English on all levels of linguistic description.