The languages of Africa have long been a source of important theoretical and empirical discoveries across linguistics. However, the insights to be gained about language from the investigation of African languages have been limited by the comparatively small number of African scholars who are participating in the formulation of linguistic theory. This project funds a two-week school in theoretical and descriptive linguistics in the West African nation of Benin during the summer of 2011 which will address this shortage. The African Linguistics School (ALS) will focus on syntax, semantics, phonology, language contact, sign language and field methods. Courses will range from the introductory to the advanced.
The ALS will bolster the field of linguistics in Africa by supporting existing programs on the continent in five ways: The first is that simply having an organized international gathering of linguists calls attention to the field and increases its legitimacy in the eyes of policy makers and the public. Secondly, even in the age of the Internet, there is often a time lag between developments in linguistic theory in North America and Europe and their dissemination in Africa; the ALS will heighten contact. Third, the ALS will help both to identify and to encourage promising young African linguists and thereby increase their opportunities for graduate study in the United States (as well as Canada, Europe, and Australia). Fourth, the school will permit the students to build professional relationships and social networks (with the professors and their fellow students) needed to do collaborative research and to be successful in linguistics. Fifth, ALS will directly contribute to the creation and development of original research on African languages by African students, via discussions between the ALS students and faculty, the presentations that students give in their courses, and collaborative work among students.
The African Linguistic School (ALS), a two-week school in theoretical and descriptive linguistics, took place in the West African nation of Benin during the summer of 2011. It focused on syntax, semantics, phonology, language contact, sign language and field methods. The languages of Africa have long been a source of important theoretical and empirical discoveries across the various subfields of linguistics. Despite these discoveries, the insights to be gained about language from the investigation of African languages have been limited by the comparatively small number of African scholars who are participating in the formulation of linguistic theory. The ALS bolstered the field of linguistics in Africa by supporting existing programs on the continent in five ways: The first is that simply having an organized international gathering of linguists has called attention to the field and increased its legitimacy in the eyes of policy makers and the public. Secondly, even in the age of the Internet, there is often a time lag between developments in linguistic theory in North America and Europe and their dissemination in Africa; the ALS has enabled students direct access to recent publications and developments in the field. Third, the ALS has helped both to identify and to encourage promising young African linguists and has thereby increased their opportunities for graduate study in the United States (as well as Canada, Europe, and Australia). Fourth, the school has permitted the students to build professional relationships and social networks (with the professors, and their fellow students) needed to do collaborative research and to be successful in the field. Fifth, ALS has directly contributed to the creation of original research on African languages by African students, via discussions between the ALS students and faculty, and the final presentations for the courses.
