Happy mother language day!
Dear Circle members,
Some interesting updates, but first… It’s that time of year again! 21 February is International Mother Language Day. Let me just repeat the words of last year: this day helps to remind us (if indeed reminding is needed) of the importance of people’s languages for the preservation of their culture, for their economic development, for the efficiency of their educational systems and indeed for the full and authentic development of all the talents available to mankind.
For Africa, there is still a long way to go before indigenous languages get the status and use in official domains that would benefit the continent most. However, I think that most of us in the Circle believe this time will come – it is up to us to study, publish and be active for the best possible transition to an increased use of African languages in all domains.
Just published: Special issue of Language Policy in Africa on terminology. The issue consists of the proceedings of the 3rd International conference held in Bamako (Mali) from July 28 to 31, 2025, on scientific and technical terminology in African languages, literacy, and lexicography. Scholarship in this area contributes to the promotion of language policy on the African continent. The special issue boasts 17 articles, or a total of 322 pages. All articles are in French, with two exceptions: one in English and another one in Bamanankan (Bambara). Due to the volume of the material, a second special issue on the same subject matter is currently under preparation. The Journal also accepts submissions for upcoming regular issues.
Note that the Journal is now listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals!
Webinar series: Conversations on Language Policy in Africa. The next webinar in the series will take place on Friday, 6 March at 4 pm CET. It will be delivered by Kenneth Oboriah, who will speak about language policies of Nigerian radio stations. Save the date as well for the last of this series on 10 April at 4 pm CEST, to be delivered by Salikoko Mufwene. Register via the Initiative Afrique site of the University of Bern (Switzerland) or directly here. Follow this link for recordings of past webinars.
As announced in the last update, the edited volume Local Languages, Global Futures – Language, Learning and Sustainability in Africa is now available for open-access download (and can be purchased in hard copy from the publishers). We think it can be a good resource, also for teaching. Several chapters of this book are the outcome of research within the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth, funded by the German Research Foundation. The Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence also provided the funding for the publication, gratefully acknowledged.
African Languages Conference, Accra and online, 23-28 February
This Conference will have two parts, an on-site part in Accra on 23 and 24 February, and an online part from 26 to 28 February. Registration for the Conference is free, but voluntary contributions are welcomed.
Our Circle will have an online panel discussion on Thursday, 26 January, from 14:00 to 15:20 GMT, on the topic of Multilingual learning for All: challenges and limitations. Panellists will be Djouroukoro Diallo, Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju, Addisalem Yallew and undersigned.
This Conference might present a good opportunity to network and bring our Circle to the attention of others who might be interested in joining…
Call for Chapters: Circle members Michael Kretzer and Stella Makafui Yegblemenawo are preparing a book tentatively called ‘Inclusive Multilingual Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in West African schools: Ecolinguistics, Linguistic Landscapes, and Classroom Practice.’ This might be of interest to a number of you. Deadline for abstracts is the 15th of March.
Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju on the state of Nigerian languages in relation to English: see this article in the Nation (Nigeria) of 4 February. The professor argues that Nigeria ‘risks raising generations linguistically unmoored—detached from their heritage, uncertain in expression, and ill-prepared for the intellectual demands of modern life.’ The lecture itself can be seen here (starts after 32 mins).
Circle member publication: Philpo John and Ancyfrida Prosper have published an article on Code Switching in Tanzanian secondary schools. They recommend use of both Kiswahili and English as languages of instruction and examination throughout secondary school and in higher education. Contact me if you would like to receive a free copy of the article.
12th World Congress on African Linguistics, Vienna 2027: the Call for Abstracts is out, deadline 30 May.
No new member this month – perhaps next month? Please check if the information we have about you on the Circle website is still up-to-date. If you have a new job, job title or any other change that is relevant, do let us know.
As always, if you have things or hear of things that you think might be of interest to Circle members, don’t hesitate to send a short message, either via the mail or via WhatsApp - we will be happy to share the information. Our ‘Afrilang’ WhatsApp group currently has 70 members. If you are interested in joining, drop me a line!
Looking forward to seeing or corresponding with some of you during our upcoming activities, best regards,
Bert (also on behalf of Comfort, Sarita and Taiwo).