The study of African languages, cultural practices and
speakers’ conceptualizations is complex and multilayered. This introductory
chapter provides an overview of the goals and scope of the volume. It also
offers a short historical survey of anthropological linguistics as well as
some reflections on the forms this field of enquiry has taken in relation to
African languages. We discuss the structure of the volume, including chapter
summaries and intersections, and conclude with some remarks on the future of
the anthropological linguistics of Africa.
Article outline
- 1.Goals and scope
- 2.Anthropological linguistics in historical context
- 3.Anthropological linguistics in African contexts
- 4.Contents and organization of the volume
- 4.1Time, space, and language
- 4.2Personhood, sociality, and naming
- 4.3Perception and classification
- 4.4Sociocultural dimensions of discourse structure
- 5.Whither anthropological linguistics?
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Notes
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References