Afrikaans is unique among the Germanic languages in several ways: Notably, it is the only language of the Germanic family that originated outside of Europe and that is spoken primarily in Africa. Due to the unique historical context in which Afrikaans developed, it has grammatical features setting it apart from the rest of the Germanic family. Afrikaans is also the first language of over seven million people and the third largest language in South Africa.
In spite of its uniqueness and the size of the Afrikaans speech community, Afrikaans is relatively understudied and underdescribed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics. This workshop seeks to address the paucity of descriptive and theoretical studies of Afrikaans in contemporary linguistics by bringing together scholars who work on any aspect of Afrikaans grammar.We welcome contributions on any aspect of Afrikaans grammar, from both a descriptive and theoretical perspective. Also welcome are contributions of a more comparative nature, focusing on the relationship between Afrikaans and her sister languages (Dutch, Frisian, etc.). Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Phonetics (acoustic, articulatory, perceptual)
- Phonology
- Morphology
- Syntax
- Semantics
- Pragmatics
- History of Afrikaans
- Sociolinguistic of Afrikaans
- Dialectology and varieties of Afrikaans
- Comparative analyses of Afrikaans and her sister languages
To ensure that contributions to the workshop will be accessible to the widest possible audience, the language of the workshop will be English.
Presentation format: Presentations will be either 20 minutes (with an additional 10 minutes of discussion) or 40 minutes (with an additional 10 minutes for discussion). Please indicate in your submission whether you would like to be considered for a 20 minute or a 40 minute presentation slot. Please note that depending on the number of submissions that we receive, we may not be able to honor your stated preference.
Abstract format: We welcome abstracts on any topic related to the workshop topic. Indicate at the top of your abstract whether you prefer a 20 or a 40 minute presentation slot. Abstracts should be anonymous and no longer than 2 pages (A4 or letter, 12pt font), including examples, figures and references (if any). Anonymous abstracts in pdf format should be submitted to afrikaansegrammatika@gmail.com no later than 23:59 pm South African time on June 15, 2016.
