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ERIC Number: EJ1215824
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
EISSN: N/A
Multilingualism at Church: Language Practices in a Ghanaian Context
Obiri-Yeboah, Monica Apenteng
Current Issues in Language Planning, v20 n4 p403-417 2019
This paper examines the linguistic repertoires and domains of language use of the members of Victory Baptist Church at Nkwantanang (a suburb of Kade), an Akan-speaking area in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Data for the study is from observations and transcribed recordings of Sunday services, youth and women fellowship meetings, as well as conversations and interviews with selected members of the church. The theoretical underpinning of the work derives from Fishman's [(2006). A decalogue of basic theoretical perspectives for a sociology of language and religion. In T. Omoniyi, & A. J. Fishman (Eds.), "Explorations in the sociology of language and religion" (pp. 13-25). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Retrieved from https://sociologyoflanguageandreligion.com/about/fishmans-decalogue/] sociology of language and religion principles and Baldauf's [(2005). Micro language planning. In P. Bruthiaux, D. Atkinson, G. Eggington, W. Grabe, & V. Ramanathan (Eds.), "Directions in Applied Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Robert B. Kaplan" (pp. 227-239). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters] micro language planning approach. A major finding is that there are numerous instances of code-switching among the youth, which are attributable to the language contact situation in the church and the town. Additionally, monolingual elderly women resort to lexical borrowing. Furthermore, whereas some studies have proved that smaller communities are diglossic, this study shows that the language situation in Nkwantanang is rather multilingual despite the community's small size and remoteness. Lastly, members of the church have a positive attitude towards the prevailing language situation, which supports principle three of Fishman's SLR.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A