Language, Home, and Belonging in Migratory Contexts

Trained as a translator and interpreter, Constance Mbassi Manga works in the Creative Language Services industry and in Higher Education. After getting a Masters in Research at Kings College, London, she completed her PhD at Lancaster University, UK.

Contents

List of Tables

List of Images

Transcription Conventions

Chapter 1 – Introduction and background

1.1 Introduction

1.2 What do we call Camfranglais?

1.3 My personal interest in CFrA

1.3.1 My relationship to CFrA and other non-standard codes in my repertoire

1.3.2 Reasons that led me to research CFrA

1.4 Background

1.4.1 Colonial history & the link with CFrA

1.4.2 How decoloniality fits in

1.4.3 CFrA in the diaspora

1.4.4 Relevance of the topic

1.4.5 Research question

1.4.6 Ontological and epistemological position

1.4.7 Theoretical framework

1.4.8 Overview of indexical transformations undergone by CFrA in this context.

1.5 Value & usefulness of the interdisciplinary lens to this topic

1.5.1 Introduction

1.5.2 (Linguistic) Ethnography

1.5.3 Online/digital ethnography

Introduction

Nomenclature

The online field, its context, and privacy

Insights from relevant online ethnographies

1.5.4 Critical Discourse Analysis

1.5.5 Decolonial approaches to CDA

1.5.6 Combining LE & CDA

1.5.7 Key points on data collection (on- and offline)

1.5.8 Life narratives as data

1.5.9 Researcher’s position and reflexivity

1.5.10 Data analysis – overview

1.6 Conclusion

Chapter 2. Key concepts

2.1 Theorising Cameroonian-ness

2.1.1 Diaspora

2.1.2 The deconstruction of diasporic Cameroonian-ness

2.2 Community

2.3 Home’ and ‘belonging’, identity and the migratory experience

2.3.1 (Home and) Belonging

2.3.2 Identity

2.3.3 Migratory experience

2.4 The functions of language

2.5 Translanguaging & its relevance to the project

2.6 Conclusion

Chapter 3 – Historical and socioeconomic context

3.1 From colonial era to independence

3.2 Language ideologies of the new Cameroonian state

3.2.1 From independence to the late 1980s

3.2.2 From the 1990s onward

3.2.3 Practical example – Camfranglais in pop culture

3.3 Main trends in the study of CFrA

3.3.1 Introduction

3.3.2 Trends in the study of Camfranglais: late 90s to mid-2000s

CFrA as a linguistic system

CFrA and other registers

CFrA as an unstable register

CFrA and official language ideologies

CFrA as a sociolinguistic asset

3.3.3 Trends in the study of CFrA: mid to late 2000s onward

Previous studies about the socioeconomic context of emergence of CFrA

Previous studies about CFrA as a language practice

Previous studies about CFrA and the diaspora

Identity in previous studies about CFrA

Home and Belonging in previous studies about CFrA

3.4 Conclusion

Chapter 4 – Skype conversations: Narratives and Diasporic identities

4.1 Introduction

4.2 The conversations

4.3 Brief vignettes of participants

4.3.1. Adam

4.3.2 Freddy

4.3.3 Lovely

4.3.4 Craig

4.3.5 Thalia

4.3.6 Manuela

4.3.7 Trish

4.3.8 Boris

4.3.9 Conclusion

4.4 Analysis – Introduction

4.4.1 Participants’ backgrounds and its impact on practices

4.4.2 Socioeconomic background

4.4.3 Age and time of arrival

4.5 Themes emerging from the conversations

4.5.1 Language and identity

4.5.2 Frenchness and Cameroonian-ness

4.5.3 Language and ‘race’

4.5.4 Language ideologies about CFrA

4.5.5 ‘Home and Belonging’

4.5.6 Insights from the conversations

4.6 Conclusion

Chapter 5 – Facebook Group – an online community built around CFrA

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Overview of Facebook features and their impact on the data

5.2.1 Affordances of participation

5.2.2 Affordances of space

5.2.3 Affordances of personal expression

5.2.4 Affordances of connection

5.2.5 Impact of Facebook features on the project

5.3 General description of the Group

5.3.1 Introduction

5.3.2 Organisation of the Group

5.3.3 Engaging with the Group

5.3.4 Data selection and download

5.4 Activity in the Group

5.4.1 Introduction

5.4.2 Member interaction

5.5 Analysis – Introduction

5.5.1 Overall content and style

5.6 Selected cases & themes

5.6.1 Diasporic migrant identity

Analysis

5.6.2 Community-building

Analysis

5.6.3 Cameroonian identity & Patriotism

PRINCE

Analysis

TEBO

Analysis

5.6.4 Metadiscourses about CFrA

Analysis

5.6.5 Insights from the Facebook chats

5.7 Conclusion

Chapter 6 – Findings and Conclusion

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Overall findings

6.3 Global significance of the case study

6.3.1 Links with the Sociolinguistics of migration

6.3.2 Links with the (updated) Sociolinguistics of diaspora

6.3.3 Links with Postcolonial theories

6.3.4 Why and why now? Timeliness and relevance

6.4 Limitations

6.5 Further areas of research

6.6 Final comments

Appendix

Index