Profile
Presently,
I am working on two related research projects: The investigation
of systematic expressions of culture in L2 varieties of English
within the framework of Cognitive Sociolinguistics, and the
compilation of an exclusive dictionary of West African English
(WAE).
The study of cultural models, cultural keywords and culture-specific
collocations in L2 varieties of English goes back to my work
on English in Cameroon. I found that in Cameroon English,
and, more generally, African English, certain beliefs, if
not worldviews, pertaining to the domain of kinship and community
are expressed, which are not present in Western varieties
of English. However, within the World Englishes paradigm,
culture is either disregarded by descriptive sociolinguists
in the tradition of Saussure or cannot be rigorously and systematically
described by scholars who stress the cultural transformation
of English in second language contexts but lack the adequate
methodological apparatus. To make up for these shortcomings,
I use methods developed in Cognitive Linguistics (in particular,
conceptual metaphor, blending, and cultural model theory)
in combination with computer corpus analysis. As a joint project
with a colleague from Humboldt-University, Berlin, the African
cultural model of community is now being systematized further,
and work has begun on culture-specific conceptualizations
realized in Hong Kong English. The results of these investigations
are important in the current debate on the global role of
English and with respect to a more meaning-oriented conception
of the pragmatics of intercultural communication.
The
dictionary of WAE is a joint project with more colleagues
from the English Department of Humboldt-University, Berlin.
So far, our computerized database includes almost 7000 exclusive
lexical items of WAE. Items are drawn from a variety of sources:
e.g. personal interviews with speakers of different national
varieties of WAE, literature, newspapers, and various internet-sources.
Our aim is not only to find items that are exclusive to WAE,
but also to differentiate them according to their occurrence
and pronunciation in the national varieties of WAE (Gambian
English, Sierra Leonean English, Liberian English, Ghanaian
English, Nigerian English, and Cameroon English).
(http://www2.hu-berlin.de/angl/WAfr/wafr.html).
Publications
MONOGRAPHS:
(1994). A Folk Model of the 'Internal Self' in Light of the Contemporary
View of Metaphor - the Self as Subject and Object. European
University Studies, Series XIV Anglo-Saxon Language and Literature,
vol. 284. Frankfurt/M.: P. Lang.
(2001). English in Cameroon. Contributions to the Sociology of
Language 85. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. (Reviewed in LinguistList,
Zeitschrift fur Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Linguistics,
English World-Wide, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural
Development, Journal of Pidgins and Creole Studies, The Year's
Work in English Studies).
(2009).
With Polzenhagen, Frank. World Englishes: A Cognitive Sociolinguistic
Approach. Applications of Cognitive Linguistics 8. Berlin:
Mouton de Gruyter.
Under
review
with Cummings, Patrick. A Glossary of Hong Kong English.
The University of Hong Kong Press.
EDITED
WORKS:
(2003).
With Peter Lucko & Lothar Peter (eds.). Studies in
African Varieties of English. Frankfurt/M.: P. Lang. (Reviewed
in English World-Wide, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural
Development,The Year's Work in English Studies, Orientalistische
Literaturzeitung)
(2006-2007). Cognitive Linguistics Bibliography (CogBib). CD-Rom
and electronic publication. Main editor of editorial team
(Rene Dirven, Ron Chen, Ning Yu and Birgit Smieja). Berlin:
Mouton de Gruyter.
(2008).
With Christopher Hutton (eds). Special issue: The History
of Linguistics. Language Sciences, 30(5).
(2008).
With Frank Polzenhagen and Lothar Peter (eds.). Focus on
English: Language Structure and Language Variation. Studies
in Honour of Peter Lucko. Leipziger Universitatsverlag.
ARTICLES:
(1996).
"A folk model of the 'internal self' in light of the
contemporary view of metaphor. The self as subject and object."
In Weinstock, Horst (ed.). English and American Studies
in German 1995. Summaries of Theses and Monographs. A Supplement
to Anglia, 19-22. Tubingen: Max Niemeyer.
(1997).
"Transcendence of ethnic boundaries: The case of the
Anglophones in Cameroon." Journal of Sociolinguistics 1(3): 419-426.
(1999).
"The impact of British colonial policy on the forms and
functions of English in Cameroon." In Carls, Uwe &
Lucko, Peter (eds.). Form, Function and Variation in English:
Studies in Honour of Klaus Hansen, 219-233. Frankfurt/M.:
P. Lang.
(1999).
"From mother tongue to second language: the cultural
model of 'community' in African English." La Langue
Maternelle. Cahiers Charles V, 27: 75-91.
(1999).
With Simo Bobda, Augustin & Peter, Lothar. "Identifying
regional and national origin of English-speaking Africans
seeking asylum in Germany." Forensic Linguistics 6(2):
302-321.
(2000).
With Liao, Chao-chih. "E-mail discourse structure and
cross-cultural understanding between Taiwan and Germany." Studies in English Language and Literature. National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 7: 19-27.
(2000).
With Simo Bobda, Augustin. "The use of an indigenous
cultural model in English language instruction in Cameroon." LAUD Linguistic Agency. Series A: General & Theoretical
Papers, No. 514.
(2001).
With Simo Bobda, Augustin. "The African cultural model
of community in English language instruction in Cameroon:
The need for more systematicity." In Pütz, Martin;
Niemeier, Susanne & Dirven, René (eds.). Applied
Cognitive Linguistics II: Language Pedagogy, 225-229.
Cognitive Linguistics Research 19.2. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2001).
With Peter, Lothar. "Aku in The Gambia: Terminological
problems, functional distribution and popular attitude."
In Igboanusi, Herbert (ed.). Language Attitudes and Language
Conflicts in West Africa, 96-104. Ibadan, Nigeria.
(2002).
With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Conceptual metaphor as ideological
stylistic means: An exemplary analysis." LAUD Linguistic
Agency. Series A: General & Theoretical Papers, No.
549.
(2003). "The contextualization of common core terms in
West African English: Evidence from computer corpora."
In Lucko, Peter; Peter, Lothar; & Wolf, Hans-Georg (eds.). Studies in African Varieties of English, 3-20. Frankfurt/M.:
P. Lang.
(2003). With Peter, Lothar. "Aku in The Gambia: Terminological
problems, functional distribution and popular attitude."
(technically revised and expanded version). In Lucko, Peter;
Peter, Lothar; & Wolf, Hans-Georg (eds.). Studies in
African Varieties of English, 119-127. Frankfurt/M.: P.
Lang.
(2003). With Igboanusi, Herbert. "A preliminary comparison
of lexical items in Nigerian English and Cameroon English."
In Lucko, Peter; Peter, Lothar; & Wolf, Hans-Georg (eds.). Studies in African Varieties of English, 69-81. Frankfurt/M.:
P. Lang.
(2003). With Simo Bobda, Augustin. "Pidgin English in
Cameroon in the new millennium." In Lucko, Peter; Peter,
Lothar; & Wolf, Hans-Georg (eds.). Studies in African
Varieties of English 101-117. Frankfurt/M.: P. Lang.
(2003). With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Conceptual metaphor
as ideological stylistic means: An exemplary analysis."
In Dirven, Rene; Frank, Roslyn S.; & Putz, Martin (eds). Cognitive Models in Language and Thought: Ideologies, Metaphors,
and Meanings, 245-274. Cognitive Linguistics Research
21. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2003). With Peter, Lothar & Simo Bobda, Augustin. "An
account of distinctive phonetic and lexical features of Gambian
English." English World-Wide 24(1): 43-61.
(2004). With Igboanusi, Herbert. "Empowerment through
English - a realistic view of the educational promotion of
English in post-colonial contexts: The case of Nigeria." LAUD Linguistic Agency. Series A: General & Theoretical
Papers, No. 597.
(2004). "Cultural approaches to second language varieties
of English: A call for new methodologies and a review of some
findings on (West) African English." In Schroder, Anne
(ed.). Crossing Borders: Interdisciplinary Approaches to
Africa, 133-149. Berlin: LIT Verlag.
(2006). With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Intercultural communication
in English - a cognitive linguistic focus on neglected issues." LAUD Linguistic Agency. Series A: General & Theoretical
Papers, No. 683: 1-26.
(2006). With Igboanusi, Herbert. "Empowerment through
English - a realistic view of the educational promotion of
English in post-colonial contexts: The case of Nigeria."
In Putz, Martin; Fishman, Joshua A.; & Neff - van Aertselaer,
JoAnne (eds.). Along the Routes to Power: Explorations
of the Empowerment through Language, 331-356. Contributions
to the Sociology of Language 92. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2006) "Religion and traditional beliefs in West African
English: A linguistic analysis." In Omoniyi, Tope &
Fishman, Joshua A. (eds.). Readings in the Sociology of
Language and Religion, 42-59. Discourse Approaches to
Politics, Society and Culture 20. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2006).
With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Intercultural communication
in English - Arguments for a cognitive approach to intercultural
pragmatics." Intercultural Pragmatics 3(3): 285-321.
(2007).
With Peter, Lothar. "A comparison of the varieties of
West African Pidgin English." World Englishes 26(1):
3-21.
(2007).
With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Fixed expressions as manifestations
of cultural conceptualizations: Examples from African varieties
of English." In Skandera, Paul (ed.). Phraseology
and Culture in English, 399-435. Topics in English Linguistics
54. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2007). With Polzenhagen, Frank. "Culture-specific conceptualisations
of corruption in African English: Linguistic analyses and
pragmatic applications." In Sharifian, Farzad & Palmer,
Gary (eds.). Applied Cultural Linguistics, 125-168.
Converging Evidence in Communication and Language Research
7. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2007)
With Dirven, René& Polzenhagen, Frank. "Cultural
studies." In Geeraerts, Dirk & Cuyckens, Hubert (eds.). Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics, 1203-1221. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
(2007)
With Dirven, René& Polzenhagen, Frank. "Cognitive
linguistics, ideology, and discourse analysis." In Geeraerts,
Dirk & Cuyckens, Hubert (eds.). Handbook of Cognitive
Linguistics, 1222-1240. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2008) With Xia, Xiaoyan. "Basic level salience in second
language acquisition: A study of English vocabulary learning
by Chinese adults." In: 33rd International LAUD Symposium.
Cognitive Approaches to Second/Foreign Language Processing:
Theory and Pedagogy. Essen, LAUD Linguistic Agency, Series
A: 963-995.
(2008). With Peter, Lothar. "Compiling an exclusive dictionary
of West African English: A report on work in progress."
In Simo Bobda, Augustin (ed.). Explorations into Language
Use in Africa, 221-234. Duisburg Papers on Research in
Language and Culture 70. Frankfurt/M.: P. Lang.
(2008). "British and French language and educational
policies in the Mandate and Trusteeship Territories."
In Hutton, Christopher, & Wolf, Hans-Georg (eds.). Special
issue: The History of Linguistics. Language Sciences,
30(5): 553-574.
(2008).
"A cognitive linguistic approach to the cultures of World
Englishes: The emergence of a new model." In Kristiansen,
Gitte & Dirven, Reneé (eds.). Cognitive Sociolinguistics:
Language Variation, Cultural Models, Social Systems. Berlin:Mouton
de Gruyter.
(2008). With Juffermans, Kasper. "Conceptions of globalization
in African and Western newspaper corpora." In Wolf, Hans-Georg;
Peter, Lothar; and Polzenhagen, Frank (eds.). Focus on
English: Language Structure and Language Variation. Studies
in Honour of Peter Lucko. Leipzig: Leipziger Universitätsverlag.
Forthcoming:
"The
cognitive sociolinguistic approach to Cameroon English and
other World Englishes: A lexicological application."
In Anchimbe, Eric A. (ed.). Approaches to Cameroon English:
Features, Structure, and New Perspectives. Varieties of
English Around the World. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
"East
and West African Englishes: Differences and commonalities."
In Kirkpatrick, Andy (ed.). The Routledge Handbook of World
Englishes. London: Routledge.
With
Xia, xiaoyan. "Basic-level salience in second language
acquisition: A study of English vocabulary learning and use
by Chinese adults." In De Knop, Sabine; Boers, Frank;
and De Rycker, Teun (eds.). Fostering Language Teaching
Efficiency through Cognitive Linguistics. Applications
of Cognitive Linguistics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
With
Ding, Yan and Noël, Dirk. "Patterns in metaphor
translation." In Xiao, Richard (ed.). Using Corpora
in Contrastive and Translation Studies. Newcastle: Cambridge
Scholars Publishing.
BOOK
REVIEW:
(2005).
Review of The Sociolinguistics of Borderlands: Two Nations,
one Community. T. Omoniyi, Trenton, NJ. Africa World Press. Current Issues in Language Planning 6(1): 80-83.
CONFERENCE
PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS (selection)
A
metaphoric folk model of consciousness." Language
and consciousness. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Varna,
Bulgaria, September 12-15, 1995.
"Transcendence
of ethnic boundaries: Second language as a cause of unity
- the case of the Anglophones in Cameroon." The Linguistic
Construction of Social and Personal Identity, Research
Committee on Sociolinguistics - RC 25. Evora, Portugal, March
25-29, 1996.
"Report
on work in progress (English in Cameroon)," at the English
department of University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany,
January 14, 1997.
"From
mother tongue to second language: The cultural model of community
in African English." La Langue Maternelle. University
of Paris 7, France, March 19-20, 1999.
"The
concept of the 'Afro-German'." Panel Discussion. W.E.B.
Du Bois Week. American Studies. Humboldt-University Berlin,
Germany, June 3, 1999.
With
Lothar Peter: "English in West Africa." Afrika-
und Asienkolloquium 'Transkulturalitat.' Institute for
Asian and African Studies, Humboldt-University Berlin, in
cooperation with the Modern Orient Center, Berlin, Germany,
January 12, 2000.
With
Augustin Simo Bobda: "The use of an indigenous cultural
model in English language instruction in Cameroon." 28th
International LAUD Symposium. 'Ten Years After': Cognitive
Linguistics: Second Language Acquisition, Language Pedagogy,
and Linguistic Theory. University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus
Landau, Germany, March 27-30, 2000.
"Ein
metaphorisches Modell des Bewußtseins - eine Systematisierung."
Public presentation as requirement for the Habilitation. Philosophical Faculty II, Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany,
December 6, 2000.
"The
contextualization of common core terms in varieties of West
African English." GNEL/MAVEN, The Cultural Politics
of English as a World Language. University of Freiburg,
Germany, June 6-9, 2001.
With
Polzenhagen, Frank: "Conceptual metaphor as ideological
stylistic means: An exemplary analysis." 29th International
LAUD Symposium. The Language of Politico-Social Ideologies. University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Germany, March
25-28, 2002.
"Religion
and traditional belief in (West) African English." (Lead
paper). Sociology of Language & Religion International
Colloquium. University of Surrey, Roehampton, UK, June
20-22, 2002.
With
Polzenhagen, Frank: "A cognitive linguistic account of
socio-cultural concepts: Expressions of witchcraft, magical
leadership, and corruption in African varieties of English." 35th SLE Meeting. Rethinking Language and Mind. University
of Potsdam, Germany, July 22-25, 2002.
"A cognitive and corpus linguistic account of socio-cultural
concepts: Expressions of magical leadership, witchcraft, and
corruption in African varieties of English." (Expanded
version). The University of Hong Kong, Department of English,
Seminar Series, April 3, 2003.
With
Polzenhagen, Frank: "Pragmatic consequences of socio-cultural
differences in the conceptualization of the family domain
in African English and native varieties of English." 8th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference, Cognitive
Linguistics, Functionalism, Discourse Studies: Common Ground
and New Directions. La Rioja, Spain, July 20-25, 2003.
With
Herbert Igboanusi: "Empowerment through English - a realistic
view of the educational promotion of English in post-colonial
contexts: the example of Nigeria." 30th International
LAUD Symposium. Empowerment through Language. University
of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Germany, April 19-22, 2004.
"A
cultural linguistic approach to World Englishes: The emergence
of a new paradigm." 2004 ELLAK (English Language and
Literature Association of Korea) Conference. Seoul, Korea,
June 15-19, 2004.
"Initial
findings on similarities in linguistic realizations of the
family domain in African English and Chinese English". 2nd Roundtable Discussion on African Studies, The University
of Hong Kong, 25. Mai 2005.
With
Bolton, Kingsley: "Exploring the cultures of Asian Englishes:
Evidence from corpus linguistics." Annual Conference
of the International Association for World Englishes (IAWE). The Multiple Expressions of World Englishes. Purdue, USA,
July 21-23, 2005.
"British
Educational and Linguistic Policy in the Mandate and Trusteeship
Territories." First East Asian SGdS (Studienkreis
Geschichte der Sprachwissenschaft)-Colloquium on the History
of Linguistics. The University of Hong Kong, October 28-30,
2005.
With
Polzenhagen, Frank: "Intercultural communication in English
- A cognitive linguistic focus on neglected issues." 31st International LAUD Symposium. Intercultural Pragmatics. University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Germany, March
27-30, 2006.
"Reflections
on Intercultural Pragmatics." University of Hong Kong,
School of English. January 1, 2007.
With
Xia Xiaoyan: "Basic-level salience in second language
acquisition: A study of English vocabulary learning by Chinese
adults." 32nd International LAUD Symposium. Cognitive
Approaches to Second/Foreign Language Processing: Theory and
Pedagogy. University of Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau,
Germany, March 10-13, 2008.
With
Ding Yan and Noel, Dirk: "Lost in metaphor and metonymy
translation? A corpus-based study of the translation of metaphors
and metonymies of FEAR between English and Chinese." Seventh International Conference on Researching and Applying
Metaphor (RaAM7), University of Extremadura, Spain, May
29-31, 2008.
"Cultural
models of religious belief systems in L2 varieties of English." Poznan Linguistic Meeting, Gniezno, Poland, September
11-14, 2008.
With
Ding Yan and Noel, Dirk: "Patterns in metaphor translation:
a corpus-based case study of the translation of FEAR metaphors
between English and Chinese." International Symposium
on Using Corpora in Contrastive and Translation Studies (UCCTS),
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, September 25-27, 2008.
