A Pragmatic Profile of Namibian English
A Pragmatic Profile of Namibian English (PraProNE): Exploring norms of communicative behaviour in a multilingual ecology
This project aims to fill a research gap that exists in the field of World Englishes (WE) as well as Variational Pragmatics (VP). Taking Namibian English (NamE) as its primary research object, it will construct a pragmatic profile of this African variety of English that characterizes the unique aspects of the pragmatic norms and practices entertained by its speakers. The methodological framework for this endeavour is being developed specifically for the case of Namibia, taking into account its particular linguistic ecology. At the same time, we see our framework as a valuable tool for future research on the pragmatics of WE, one that can be adjusted to the specific parameters of other varieties while maintaining its methodological viability and principles.
PraProNE addresses the following research desiderata: First, it updates the still nascent body on the pragmatics of African Englishes in general and NamE specifically, adding much needed data to the endeavour of compiling a comprehensive account of the pragmatics of Englishes worldwide. Second, in this we pay specific attention to the impact of pragmatic transfer from a variety of first and second languages spoken in Namibia, underlining the relevance of this factor for the pragmatic description of multilingual, post-colonial language ecologies such as found in Namibia. To this end, we are in the process of developing a research methodology that serves these goals by adapting a robust empirical framework to the specific characteristics of the Namibian linguistic ecology, carried out in close collaboration with local research partners. This centrally includes a systematic and synergistic combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, allowing us to adhere to the principle of contrastivity central to VP while properly taking into account the emic perspective and socio-cultural complexity of the language community in question.
The project started in October 2022.
Third-party funding: DFG – Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: 497900728
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Prof. Dr. Anne Schröder
Project management
Bielefeld University
anne.schroeder@uni-bielefeld.de
Dr. Pawel Sickinger
Project researcher
Bielefeld University
pawel.sickinger@uni-bielefeld.de
Prof. Dr. Klaus P. Schneider
Senior consultant
University of Bonn
k.schneider@uni-bonn.de
Dr. Selma Ashikuti
Mercator fellow
University of Namibia
sashikuti@unam.na
Dr. Nelson Mlambo
Mercator fellow
University of Namibia
nmlambo@unam.na
Jennifer Bergner
Academic assistant
Bielefeld University
jennifer.bergner@uni-bielefeld.de
Ariel Brozovich
Academic assistant
Bielefeld University
arial.brozovich@uni-bielefeld.de
Carolin Hohensee
Academic assistant
Bielefeld University
carolin.hohensee@uni-bielefeld.de
Andreas Mevenkamp
Student assistant
Bielefeld University
andreas.mevenkamp@uni-bielefeld.de
Robert Schiffner
Student assistant
Bielefeld University
robert.schiffner@uni-bielefeld.de
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A Pragmatic Profile of Namibian English (PraProNE): Exploring norms of communicative behaviour in a multilingual ecology
This project aims to fill a research gap that exists in the field of World Englishes (WE) as well as Variational Pragmatics (VP). Taking Namibian English (NamE) as its primary research object, it will construct a pragmatic profile of this African variety of English that characterizes the unique aspects of the pragmatic norms and practices entertained by its speakers. The methodological framework for this endeavour is being developed specifically for the case of Namibia, taking into account its particular linguistic ecology. At the same time, we see our framework as a valuable tool for future research on the pragmatics of WE, one that can be adjusted to the specific parameters of other varieties while maintaining its methodological viability and principles.
PraProNE addresses the following research desiderata: First, it updates the still nascent body on the pragmatics of African Englishes in general and NamE specifically, adding much needed data to the endeavour of compiling a comprehensive account of the pragmatics of Englishes worldwide. Second, in this we pay specific attention to the impact of pragmatic transfer from a variety of first and second languages spoken in Namibia, underlining the relevance of this factor for the pragmatic description of multilingual, post-colonial language ecologies such as found in Namibia. To this end, we are in the process of developing a research methodology that serves these goals by adapting a robust empirical framework to the specific characteristics of the Namibian linguistic ecology, carried out in close collaboration with local research partners. This centrally includes a systematic and synergistic combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, allowing us to adhere to the principle of contrastivity central to VP while properly taking into account the emic perspective and socio-cultural complexity of the language community in question.
The project started in October 2022.
Third-party funding: DFG – Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: 497900728