Edited by Anne Schröder
[Varieties of English Around the World G65] 2021
► pp. 275–298
This paper positions the volume’s findings on English in Namibia in the wider context of World Englishes. After briefly summarizing generally important insights of the book’s contributions, Namibian English is compared to other global varieties with respect to its sociohistorical embedding (being an exceptionally young variety), sociolinguistic settings (including multilingualism, language contact, linguistic mixing), language policy (found to be unique) and structural properties on the levels of pronunciation, morphosyntax and lexis (showcasing an idiosyncratic vowel split and many shared structures). Special attention is paid to Namibia’s linguistic relationship with South Africa and other southern African countries. Finally, closer attention is paid to Namibia’s role in several models of World Englishes, including traditional, established and more recent lines of thinking.