African Linguistics and Languages
Supervisors for theses at the Chair of Linguistics and Languages of Africa:
Prof Dr Tom Güldemann
Dr Jakob Lesage
When supervising BA and MA theses, one of the two reviewers must be a professor (Prof.) or a private lecturer (PD Dr.) at our institute. Upon informal, justified application to the examination board (currently Prof. Gehrmann), external reviewers are also permitted.
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Africa is characterized by an extraordinarily heterogeneous language situation. Linguistics is concerned with pursuing and teaching linguistical-historical linkages and typological characteristics of languages and language groups. On the other hand, this necessitates a focus on teaching languages which are most relevant for communicative use.
African languages with their communicative functions are seen and treated as expression and means of African culture. Based on this assumption, the task of linguistic description and of teaching African languages is linked with sociolinguistics.
At the moment and in the foreseeable future, research activities focus on West and Northeastern Africa, with research projects on Gur- and Kwa-languages of the Niger-Congo family (West Africa) and on Sotho in South Africa.