Ethnographie des Sprachwechsels

Sozialer Wandel und Sprachverhalten bei den Yeyi (Botswana). With an English summary

Author: Gabriele Sommer. Series edited by: Hans-Jürgen Sasse †, Rainer Voßen.

Series: LCA Language Contact in Africa Volume 2

1995
504 pp.
15 maps, 14 illustrations, 106 tables
Text language(s): German
Format: 160 x 240 mm
880 g
Paperback
€ 69.80

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This ethnography of language shift among the Yeyi people of Ngamiland / Botswana, who are gradually giving up their language Siyeyi (R.40) in favour of Setswana (S.30), Botswana’s national language, comprises three parts. Firstly, the relevant socioeconomic, sociocultural, and historical factors that triggered off and accompanied the language shift process among the Yeyi are dealt with. Secondly, the sociolinguistic situation within two Yeyi speech communities (Seronga and Shorobe) is described and analysed.

Of primary interest in this regard are language attitudes, changes in speech behaviour, and patterns of language acquisition of both contact languages, Siyeyi and Setswana. Thirdly, the situation of individual (bilingual) speakers is taken into account which is determined by the historical developments and the governmental language policy. The latter favours the numerically dominant Tawana ethnic group and their language Setswana officially, in compliance with the ideology of vernacularization, not excluding assimilation processes of minority languages.

The work contains an extensive summary in English, exposing further the discussed contact-induced language change.

Under these links you will find publications by the author, a grammar of Yeyi, descriptions of neighbouring Bantu languages of southern Africa and further studies of language contact in Africa:

Accompanying material:

• A Dictionary of the Rumanyo Language (ISBN 978-3-89645-601-4)
• A Grammar of Yeyi (ISBN 978-3-89645-549-9)
• A Grammatical Sketch of Herero (Otjiherero) (ISBN 978-3-89645-044-9)
• A Grammatical Sketch of Rugciriku (Rumanyo) (ISBN 978-3-89645-542-0)
• Encoding Motion – Case Studies from Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-505-5)
• Konzeptualisierung von Landschaft im Mbukushu (K.333/K.43) Bantusprache in Nord-Namibia) (ISBN 978-3-89645-600-7)
• Language Contact, Language Change and History Based on Language Sources in Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-093-7)
• Lucazi Grammar (ISBN 978-3-89645-038-8)
• Speech Acts and Speech Events in African Languages (ISBN 978-3-89645-893-3)

Cross-reference:

• Afrikaner schreiben zurück (ISBN 978-3-89645-053-1)
• Cultural Change in the Prehistory of Arid Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-092-0)
• Historical Language Contact in Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-091-3)
• Linguistic Landshapes (ISBN 978-3-89645-085-2)
• Patterns of Linguistic Convergence in Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-364-8)
• Sprachhistorische Rekonstruktionen zu den Ursprüngen von Getreidenutzung und Gartenbau in Nordostafrika (ISBN 978-3-89645-097-5)
• Sprachwandel durch Sprachkontakt am Beispiel des Nubischen im Niltal (ISBN 978-3-927620-26-1)
• The Form and Meaning of Otjiherero Praises (ISBN 978-3-89645-269-6)
• When Languages Meet (ISBN 978-3-89645-257-3)

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