Dr. Showalter examines language attitudes and bilingualism in four rural speech communities in Burkina Faso, West Africa. His study provides a detailed look into ways in which these communities respond to the everyday linguistic diversity of their milieu. Maps and diagrams add clarity in explaining the linguistic situation.
For his research, he adapted the matched-guise testing method in order to explore attitudes toward the language variation that permeates rural West African life. His results demonstrate the viability of indirect testing methods in this environment. They reveal, on the one hand, numerical measures of linguistic variability and bilingual achievement, and on the other hand, community attitudes toward shared ethnic identity, social contact, linguistic awareness, personal character, and social status. He fleshed out the survey data with ethnographic insights gained during the two years he spent in rural Burkina Faso carrying out his research.
Linguists and anthropologists interested in the interplay of language and society, as well as Africanists seeking a better understanding of the sometimes astounding linguistic diversity of the region, will find this book especially valuable.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Sociolinguistic Issues in West Africa
Multilingualism
The spread of lingua francas
Dialect continua
3. Language Issues in Burkina Faso
Introduction to the country
Multilingualism
Language policy
The Kaan, Kpatogo, Dogo, and Khi
4. Literature Review
Linguistic results of interethnic contact
Social-psychological results of interethnic contact
Language attitudes
5. Research Methods
Sociolinguistic survey methodology
Broad survey of the Kaan, Kpatogo, Dogo, and Khi
Specific survey of the Kaan of Loropéni
6. The Language Attitude Survey
The samples
The evaluation procedures
The results
7. Language Proficiency and Use in the Kaan Community
Background and approach
Language proficiency
Language use in six domains
8. Integration of the Research
Dialect and attitude issues
Bilingualism and language use issues
The communicative economy
9. Summary and Conclusion
Summary of research results
Conclusion
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
