Linguistics--the close study of language and languages--is an indispensable foundation for all forms of knowledge. The African continent is blessed with hundreds of languages which act as local repositories of culture and interaction. South Africa alone has eleven official languages, plus Sign Language, many heritage languages, and new languages of global movements and migration. Part of the linguist's business is to document, record and affirm languages and diversity. Applied linguists use their training to understand and enhance the role of language in education and upliftment, and the opportunities and challenges of new technologies of communication.

The International Congress of Linguists meets every five years to reflect the development of the field. 2018 is the first time that the congress is being held in Africa. This book is a collection of the plenary and focus papers presented at the conference and thus represents current thinking in the major branches of language study as represented by leading local and international scholars. The papers discuss the history of languages, their structure, acquisition, diversity, and use. At the same time due regard is paid to the African continent in connection with its linguistic diversity, multilingualism and educational and societal concerns. The Congress is meant to affirm the value of the languages of Africa, of languages and Linguistics in general, as well as to inspire and equip younger scholars to undertake advanced research into language in its many facets.
About the Author: David Bradley is Professor of Linguistics at LaTrobe University, Australia, and is president of the UNESCO Comité International Permanent des Linguistes. He has published over 30 books and over 200 book chapters and journal articles, and is on the editorial board of 8 international journals. He specialises in the Tibeto-Burman languages. Rajend Mesthrie is Professor of Linguistics and SARCHI chair (Migration, Language & Social Change) in the School of African and Gender Studies, Linguistics & Anthropology at the University of Cape Town. He is an A-rated researcher, was co-editor of the journal English Today for 8 years and remains an advisory editor. He is on the editorial board of 14 Linguistics journals. He has published or edited 16 books, including A Dictionary of South African Indian English (UCT Press: 2010).