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Ghanaian English and code‐switching in Catholic churches
Author(s) -
ALBAKRY MOHAMMED A.,
OFORI DOMINIC M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-971x.2011.01726.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , code switching , context (archaeology) , focus (optics) , linguistics , sociology , hybridity , code (set theory) , class (philosophy) , participant observation , speech community , history , anthropology , computer science , ecology , philosophy , physics , archaeology , set (abstract data type) , artificial intelligence , optics , biology , programming language
This sociolinguistic study looks at language use at Catholic Masses and in informal social interactions by worshippers in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. The focus is on English employed monolingually as well as alternated or mixed with local languages. Data for the study were collected through the participant observation method. Findings revealed that, although it is mainly a second language in Ghana, English dominates Catholic Masses in urban centers like Accra, and is used extensively and in different combinations with indigenous languages. Even though all the major indigenous languages spoken in Accra, including Twi, Ga, and Ewe, were found to be in use especially in the middle and lower‐class churches, English seems to dominate Catholic Masses including such parts as the introduction, homilies, prayers of the faithful, and announcements. In the multilingual urban environment of Accra and the socioreligious context of Catholic services, different types of linguistic hybridity seem to compete with monolingual English as both priests and worshippers make use of their linguistic resources according to the communicative demands of the occasion.