Black Linguistics: Language, Society, and Politics in Africa and the Americas

TLDR

Enslavement, forced migration, war, and colonization have dispersed communities worldwide and fragmented shared experiences, yet most language researchers focus only on individual communities without considering cross‑community perspectives. The collection seeks to re‑order the elitist and colonial elements of language studies by integrating multiple perspectives of language researchers. The book, authored by scholars in collaboration with local communities, examines commonalities and differences among African and Diaspora speech communities through topics such as the OJ Simpson trial, Southern and Francophone West African language issues, Hip Hop, and Rastafarian language, with a foreword by Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

Abstract

Enslavement, forced migration, war and colonization have led to the global dispersal of communities and to the fragmentation of common experiences. The majority of language researchers explore the social and linguistic phenomena of individual communities, without looking at experiences outside a given community. This groundbreaking collection re-orders the elitist and colonial elements of language studies by drawing together the multiple perspectives of language researchers. In doing so, the book recognises and formalises the existence of a Black Linguistic Perspective highlights the contributions of language researchers in the field. Written exclusively by scholars on behalf of, and in collaboration with local communities, the book looks at the commonalities and differences among speech communities in Africa and the Diaspora. Topics include: * the OJ Simpson trial * language issues in Southern Africa and Francophone West Africa * the language of Hip Hop * the language of the Rastafaria in Jamaica With a foreword by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the linguistic implications of colonization.