Our team comprises of researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Mainz. We have expertise in the fields of morphosyntactic variation, youth languages and Bantu languages.
Hannah is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Essex. Her research is concerned with linguistic variation, particularly why and how languages change. Much of her work explores the syntax and semantics of the Bantu languages, with a focus on languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa. Hannah is also interested in language and identity, language use in urban contexts and the relationship between linguistics and social justice.
Contact
h.gibson@essex.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1206 872204
Nico Nassenstein is Junior Professor of African Languages and Linguistics at JGU Mainz, and works mainly in the field of Anthropological Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, and Pragmatics. He is interested in contact languages from Central and East Africa and has conducted more than 30 months of fieldwork in the DR Congo (especially in Kinshasa researching Lingala-based youth language, and in the east of the country working on Swahili varieties), in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya. The field of youth language studies has ranged among his predominant research interests since his first research trip to Kinshasa in 2009 and has fascinated him ever since, especially due to the innovative language use and broad repertoires of many young speakers in African cities. Some of his most recent books are an edited volume (with project member Andrea Hollington and others) “Global Perspectives on Youth Languages Practices” (De Gruyter Mouton, 2022) and a volume (with Svenja Völkel) “Approaches to Language and Culture” (De Gruyter Mouton, 2022). A monograph “Western Swahili Dialects” is currently under contract with Brill. In the project, Nico Nassenstein works mainly on Lingala (in Kinshasa and Kisangani) and on Swahili from the Congo (Lubumbashi, Goma)."
Contact
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Nico Nassenstein
Raum 01-666
Forum universitatis 6
55099 Mainz
Tel.: 06131-3920356
Fax: 06131-3923730
Email: nnassens@uni-mainz.de
Postdoc
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Andrea Hollington – about myself
I am postdoc researcher at the University of Mainz with a background in African Studies. My research interests include anthropological linguistics, sociolinguistics, social semiotics, ethnomusicology, postcolonial studies, youth language practices and studies on repertoires and identity. I have examined cultural, linguistic and musical practices in Africa and the African Diaspora and studied African – Caribbean relations as well as youth language practices in multilingual contexts. I have carried out research in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Jamaica. In my multifaceted and multi-sited research I am also interested in creativity and agency in communicative practices.
Why micro YL?
I’m excited to be part of this project because of its interdisciplinary nature. It allows me to expand my knowledge on one of my previous research areas by getting innovative inputs through learning more about new and different theoretical approaches to variation and develop a framework for the study of microvariational practices in youth language discourse.
Contact
Dr. Andrea Hollington
Forum universitatis 6
55099 Mainz
Germany
Tel.: +49 6131 39 23045
Email: andrea.hollington@yahoo.deE-Mail
Elvis ResCue (PhD) is a postdoc at the Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex working as a Senior Research Officer examining the morphosyntax of youth language practices in Africa as part of the “Microvariation and youth language practices in Africa” project. He holds a PhD and MA in Applied Linguistics from Aston University, Birmingham - UK, and a BA degree in Linguistics with English from the University of Ghana, Legon, and read an MSc in Human Resource Management from Aston Business School, Birmingham - UK. His research interests and expertise lie in African Linguistics, Language Policy and Planning, Discourse Analysis, Language Contact, Sociolinguistics, Language and New Media, and General Linguistics, and with a burgeoning interest in human resource management focusing on the gig economy in the Global South and Global North, and the interface between language and economy particularly within the informal sector. His publications appeared in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Ghana Journal of Linguistics, Journal of the British Academy, Current Issues in Language Planning, Applied Linguistics Review, South African Journal of African Languages and Journal of Linguistics, and wrote book chapters published by Routledge, Multilingual Matters, Taylor & Francis, and John Benjamins.
Contact
Crucial to the project is the involvement of and close collaboration with our partners
Our advisory board members support and enrich this project with their expertise in relevant fields of linguistics, Bantu languages and youth language research
University of Cape Town, South Africa
Kenyatta University Nairobi, Kenya