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Africa is highly ideologised in terms of two antagonistic positions. Facing two extreme ideological positions, namely what one might call '19th century European nation state-ideology' vs '20th/21st century African Renaissance-ideology', language planners and decision-makers in Africa are caught in a complex dilemma. The paper begins by sketching out salient differences between the two positions: (1) Ideologies based on European historical-cultural experience, which gave rise to a particular 'Western' mind-set; this mind-set is built on convictions regarding European exceptionalism and on notions linked to linguistically and culturally homogenous nations. (2) Ideologies informed by anti-colonialist struggle and anti-imperialist philosophy which, further, rest on the recognition of sociolinguistic realities in Africa that are different from 'the West', i.e. being characterised by extreme ethnolinguistic plurality and diversity. While the first position continues to have considerable impact on academic and political discourse in terms of prevailing Eurocentric perspective and attitudes infested by Orientalism, the second is rooted in idealistic romanticism relating to notions of Universal Human Linguistic Rights and of African Identity and Personality. Political strategies embedded in any of these apparently mutually exclusive ideological positions have been and still are widely discussed in academic and political circles across Africa. A third position and the one adhered to in this presentation, is that of bridging this ideological divide by advocating multilingual policies for Africa, which would combine indigenous languages of local and regional relevance with imported languages of global reach towards the strategic goal of mother tongue-based multilingualism (MTBML). Interestingly, the ongoing highly controversial debate in Africa tends to overlook the fact that MTBML is exactly the 'language(s)-in-education policy' that most so-called developed countries, including the former colonial powers of Europe, have long since installed to best serve their own political interests and economic progress. Therefore, it remains somewhat paradoxical that African postcolonial governments copy from European models those features that are incompatible with sociolinguistic facts on the ground, like monolingual policies in the face of extensive multilingualism, but do not copy features that would be beneficial in Africa as well, like operating professional foreign language teaching and learning through a familiar medium of instruction.Key words: Applied African Sociolinguistics, language ideologies, language policies and politics, linguistic and cultural imperialism, multilingualism and polyglossia

The sociolinguistics of the Northern African states is relatively obscure in terms of internationalresearch, since these regions do not feature significantly in the areas of Arabic studies/Orientalism,Romance studies or classical African studies. A similar problem holds for the scientific classificationof studies on Berber. This article develops an africanist-sociolinguistic approach to central questionsrefering to multilingualism in the context of historically unfolding geo- and sociolinguistic profiles ofNorthern African nations. This will be discussed within the framework of a historical linguisticstratigraphy. The article broadens the concept of diglossia as used in the arabophonic context in orderto include a multilingual dimension (polyglotism), and discusses models of conflict avoidancebetween native speakers of Arabic, Berber and French, respectively. The article focuses onsituationally adequate language political arrangements, especially in the area of education, on the basisof L1-based additive bi- and trilingualism models.Keywords: Schlüsselbegriffe : Afrikanistik, Arabisch, Berber, Bildung, Diglossie, Französisch, Maghreb,Mehrsprachigkeit, Polyglossie, Soziolinguistik, SprachenpolitikAfrican studies, Arabic, Berber, education, diglossia, French, Maghreb, multilingualism,polyglotism, sociolinguistics, language policy

Language has played a pivotal role in societal transformation in postcolonial Africa towards the creation of globally competitive knowledge societies; however so far, this role has been under-researched and under-estimated. This volume addresses this gap in the literature, by bringing together a team of globally-recognised scholars to explore the effect of language on African postcolonial societies, and how it has contributed to achieving 'mental decolonisation'. A range of languages are explored, both imported (ex-colonial) and indigenous African, and case studies from different spheres of public discourse are investigated, from universities to legal settings. Demonstrating that multilingualism is a resource for, rather than barrier to, successful transformation, this book brings the intellectualisation and institutionalisation of African languages to the forefront of development discourse, and provides an insightful snap-shot of how current academic research, public discourse, political activism and social community engagement have contributed to societal transformation in South Africa.

The book presents a collection of papers in English, French and German, which touch on a wide variety of cultural, political, and educational ramifications of multilingualism in Africa. Apart from the general introduction, all contributions stem from African scholars representing their inside perspective on matters. The contributions refer to sociolinguistic situations primarily in Benin, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Togo. They deal with aspects of language contact and language change, language empowerment and protection of linguistic diversity, linguistic landscape and langua

With a focus on the city of Adaama (formerly: Nazret), the biggest urban agglomeration in Oromia Regional State, the paper addresses the "linguistic landscape" which is indicative of the overall sociolinguistic situation of a polity. Language use in the public space has not only practical-instrumental, but also historical, political, juridical, and most of allpsycho-sociological dimensions, the latter relating to the symbolic value of written language use. The paper deals with multilingual graphic representations on public commercial and private sign-boards, advertisements, and notices in Adaama city, with an additionalfocus on the situation on the campus of Adama Science and Technology University. Under the chosen theoretical framework, it analyses language visibility in terms of language legitimisation, both in terms of peoples' attitudes and based on official documents regarding language status and language use in present-day Ethiopia, such as the Education and Training Policy (1994), the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995), the Revised Constitution of Oromia Regional State(2001/2006), and the Higher Education Proclamation (2009). The primary focus of the paper is on the status, functions, and representations of AfanOromo, including a review of the major historico-political changes affecting this language from Imperial Ethiopa (before 1974), the Därg period (until 1991), and under the new Constitution of the FDRE (since 1995). The paper also deals with linguistic and graphic issues concerning the "orthographic" representations of the four languages used: Afan Oromo, Amharic, Arabic, and English, involving three different graphic systems: Fidäl (Abugida), Arabic, and Roman.

With a focus on the city of Adaama (formerly: Nazret), the biggest urban agglomeration in Oromia Regional State, the paper addresses the "linguistic landscape" which is indicative of the overall sociolinguistic situation of a polity. Language use in the public space has not only practical-instrumental, but also historical, political, juridical, and most of allpsycho-sociological dimensions, the latter relating to the symbolic value of written language use. The paper deals with multilingual graphic representations on public commercial and private sign-boards, advertisements, and notices in Adaama city, with an additionalfocus on the situation on the campus of Adama Science and Technology University. Under the chosen theoretical framework, it analyses language visibility in terms of language legitimisation, both in terms of peoples' attitudes and based on official documents regarding language status and language use in present-day Ethiopia, such as the Education and Training Policy (1994), the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995), the Revised Constitution of Oromia Regional State(2001/2006), and the Higher Education Proclamation (2009). The primary focus of the paper is on the status, functions, and representations of AfanOromo, including a review of the major historico-political changes affecting this language from Imperial Ethiopa (before 1974), the Därg period (until 1991), and under the new Constitution of the FDRE (since 1995). The paper also deals with linguistic and graphic issues concerning the "orthographic" representations of the four languages used: Afan Oromo, Amharic, Arabic, and English, involving three different graphic systems: Fidäl (Abugida), Arabic, and Roman.

Central terms and concepts / Pamela Maseko, H. Ekkehard Wolff and Russell H. Kaschula -- Introduction / Russell H. Kaschula, H. Ekkehard Wolff and Pamela Maseko -- Prologue : the essentialist paradox in intellectual discourse on African languages / H. Ekkehard Wolff -- part one. African language empowerment : concept formation and intellectualisation -- 1. Researching the intellectualisation of African languages, multilingualism and education / Russell H. Kaschula and Pamela Maseko -- 2. Language empowerment and intellectualisation through multilingual higher education in South Africa / Pamela Maseko and H. Ekkehard Wolff -- part two. Language planning, terminology development and dictionaries -- 3. Language planning in South Africa : a history / Gregory Kamwendo and Nobuhle Ndimande-Hlongwa -- 4. Language and terminology development in isiXhosa : a history / Koliswa Moropa and Feziwe Shoba -- 5. Multilingual terminology and cognition in assessment / Bassey E. Antia -- 6. IsiXhosa dictionaries, language learning and intercultural communication / Dion Nkomo -- part three. Language in education -- 7. Managing multilingualism in education : policies and practices / Anneke Potgieter and Christine Anthonissen -- 8. University multilingualism : modelling rationales for language policies / Bassey E. Antia -- 9. Language development and multilingualism at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Monwabisi K. Ralarala, Eunice Ivala, Ken Barris, Noleen Leach, Linda Manashe and Zakhile Somlata -- 10. Teacher development : promoting a biliteracy approach to epistemic access / Michael Joseph, Nompumelelo Frans and Esther Ramani -- part four. Language in the professions : law, media, science and language technology -- 11. Language and law : 'cultural translation' of narratives into sworn statements / Monwabisi K. Ralarala -- 12. Language and media : isiXhosa in journalism and media studies at a South African university / Jeanne du Toit and Pamela Maseko -- 13. Using African languages to teach science in higher education / Wanga Gambushe, Dion Nkomo and Pamela Maseko -- 14. The development of language technologies in the South African context / Justus C. Roux -- part five. Language, culture and intercultural communication -- 15. Language policy in South Africa through the Sapir-Whorf 'looking glasses' / Russell H. Kaschula and Andre M. Mostert -- 16. Language, intercultural communication and literature / Nogwaja S. Zulu -- 17. Music, literature and multilingualism in the East Cape Opera Company / Hleze Kunju and Russell H. Kaschula -- 18. Beyond language : German Studies in a South African university context / Undine S. Weber, Rebecca S.C. Domingo and Regine B. Fourie