Introduction to African Linguistic Practices
Introduction to studying African languages in societal context via sociolinguistics, linguistic ethnography, and language pedagogy.
Summary
What you’ll be able to do
Recognize major African languages and where they are spoken, and the relationship between languages and ethnic groups.
Demonstrate their understanding of major theories, approaches, concepts, and current and classical research findings in African sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology.
Develop a level of proficiency in the different “ways of knowing” Africa and the diaspora through languages and cultures.
Communicate effectively through essays, oral presentations, and discussion, so they may share their knowledge, wisdom, and values with others across social and professional settings.
Show knowledge of conventional rhetorical strategies, and integrate research by other authors while distinguishing between their own ideas and those of others.
Write and speak across disciplinary boundaries with regard to existing research about African languages.
Demonstrate command of the terminology of sociolinguistics.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
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Prerequisites
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Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
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Calendar & sections
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Student experience
the class
An introduction to various approaches to studying African languages in societal context from the perspective of experts in sociolinguistics, linguistic ethnography, and language pedagogy. Topics covered will include multilingualism, codeswitching, codemixing, translanguaging, language invention/disinvention, interactional practices, discourse analysis, language and politics, language and identity, language in education, language, gender, and sexuality, language and the media, language choice in literature and film, language and popular culture, translation, and language learning.
difficulty & workload
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Topics
- Multilingualism, codeswitching, codemixing, translanguaging, and language invention/disinvention
- Language and politics, identity, education, gender, sexuality, media, and popular culture
- Translation, language learning, and language choice in literature and film
Skills
- Understanding major theories and research in African sociolinguistics
- Command of sociolinguistics terminology
- Interdisciplinary writing and speaking on African language research
Grades
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Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
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Model & dataset provenance
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"requirements_status": "valid",
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"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
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