Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa

This book challenges the view that digital communication in Africa is limited and relatively unsophisticated and questions the assumption that digital communication has a damaging effect on indigenous African languages. The book applies the principles of Digital African Multilingualism (DAM) in whic...

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Argitaratua: Multilingual Matters / Channel View Publications 2026
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collection Directory of Open Access Books
description This book challenges the view that digital communication in Africa is limited and relatively unsophisticated and questions the assumption that digital communication has a damaging effect on indigenous African languages. The book applies the principles of Digital African Multilingualism (DAM) in which there are no rigid boundaries between languages. The book charts a way forward for African languages where greater attention is paid to what speakers do with the languages rather than what the languages look like, and offers several models for language policy and planning based on horizontal and user-based multilingualism. The chapters demonstrate how digital communication is being used to form and sustain communication in many kinds of online groups, including for political activism and creating poetry, and offer a paradigm of language merging online that provides a practical blueprint for the decolonization of African languages through digital platforms. This book is open access under a CC BY NC ND licence.
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institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Multilingual Matters / Channel View Publications
publisherStr Multilingual Matters / Channel View Publications
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1711402026-01-30T12:14:26Z Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa Makalela, Leketi White, Goodith Southern theory diaspora decolonization language planning language policy translanguaging online communication digital technology multilingualism decolonizing languages African multilingualism Language in Africa Cultural studies Language and digital literacy digital communication African languages indigenous African languages language and literacy in Africa thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTC Communication studies thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFB Sociolinguistics thema EDItEUR::U Computing and Information Technology::UB Information technology: general topics::UBJ Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects This book challenges the view that digital communication in Africa is limited and relatively unsophisticated and questions the assumption that digital communication has a damaging effect on indigenous African languages. The book applies the principles of Digital African Multilingualism (DAM) in which there are no rigid boundaries between languages. The book charts a way forward for African languages where greater attention is paid to what speakers do with the languages rather than what the languages look like, and offers several models for language policy and planning based on horizontal and user-based multilingualism. The chapters demonstrate how digital communication is being used to form and sustain communication in many kinds of online groups, including for political activism and creating poetry, and offer a paradigm of language merging online that provides a practical blueprint for the decolonization of African languages through digital platforms. This book is open access under a CC BY NC ND licence. 2026-01-30T12:14:25Z 2026-01-30T12:14:25Z 2026-01-21T14:04:58Z 2021 book ONIX_20260121T145746_9781800412316_17 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/109789 9781800412316 9781800412293 9781800412323 9781800412330 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/171140 eng open access image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/109789/1/9781800412316.pdf Multilingual Matters / Channel View Publications Multilingual Matters d6a87be7-41a3-4d48-be90-3d0acb048185 9781800412316 9781800412293 9781800412323 9781800412330 Multilingual Matters 216 Bristol open access
spellingShingle Southern theory
diaspora
decolonization
language planning
language policy
translanguaging
online communication
digital technology
multilingualism
decolonizing languages
African multilingualism
Language in Africa
Cultural studies
Language and digital literacy
digital communication
African languages
indigenous African languages
language and literacy in Africa
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTC Communication studies
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFB Sociolinguistics
thema EDItEUR::U Computing and Information Technology::UB Information technology: general topics::UBJ Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects
Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title_full Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title_fullStr Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title_full_unstemmed Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title_short Rethinking Language Use in Digital Africa
title_sort rethinking language use in digital africa
topic Southern theory
diaspora
decolonization
language planning
language policy
translanguaging
online communication
digital technology
multilingualism
decolonizing languages
African multilingualism
Language in Africa
Cultural studies
Language and digital literacy
digital communication
African languages
indigenous African languages
language and literacy in Africa
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTC Communication studies
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFB Sociolinguistics
thema EDItEUR::U Computing and Information Technology::UB Information technology: general topics::UBJ Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects
topic_facet Southern theory
diaspora
decolonization
language planning
language policy
translanguaging
online communication
digital technology
multilingualism
decolonizing languages
African multilingualism
Language in Africa
Cultural studies
Language and digital literacy
digital communication
African languages
indigenous African languages
language and literacy in Africa
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTC Communication studies
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics::CF Linguistics::CFB Sociolinguistics
thema EDItEUR::U Computing and Information Technology::UB Information technology: general topics::UBJ Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects
url ONIX_20260121T145746_9781800412316_17