Diasporic Englishes in Germany

Between 2010 and 2015, the Chair of English Linguistics researched how second language varieties of English develop in non-English speaking contexts, in contexts of migration and multilingualism. Whilst diasporic Englishes have been researched extensively with a focus on migration into other English-speaking countries, research into what happens when individuals move to non-English speaking environments is scarce.

Starting from an investigation of English knowledge and use of immigrants who originate from countries in which English is used as a second language (i.e. it is an official language in the country, but not spoken as a first language by the majority of the population), the project eventually focussed on African immigrant communities.

Using ethnographic research methodology, the sociolinguistic characteristics of the communities were established and translanguaging practices have been documented for the first generation, and rapid language shift to German in the second generation. (Some of our early results are available here.)

In 2015 and 2016 we also conducted an outreach project, in which students and members of the African diaspora in Mülheim collaboratively documented this community in detail, culminating in two exhibitions at VHS Mülheim and RUB.