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<p class=MsoNormal>I just came across a link to Ghirmai Negash's 2005 paper, "Globalization
and the Role of African Languages for Development," on the Sociolingo's
African Linguistics blog at <a
href="http://sociolingolinguistics.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/globalization-and-the-role-of-african-languages-for-development/">http://sociolingolinguistics.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/globalization-and-the-role-of-african-languages-for-development/</a>
and thought I'd pass on the reference. Apparently it was just made available
online at <a href="http://repositories.cdlib.org/ies/050219/">http://repositories.cdlib.org/ies/050219/</a>
. The abstract follows; the full paper in PDF format can be downloaded at <a
href="http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=ies">http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=ies</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>"Indigenous African languages are largely eliminated,
and marginalized from use. Instead of investing in and using their linguistic,
cultural, and human potential, African governments and the elite still continue
to channel away their resources and energies into learning
‘imperial’ languages that are used by a tiny minority of the
populations. Against the backdrop of constraining global forces, and
Africa’s internal problems (wars, repression, and general economic
misery), this paper argues that African languages could be the most critical
element for Africa’s survival, and cultural, educational and economic
development. In order for this to happen, however, Africa must invest in this
sector of ‘cultural economy’ as much as it does (should do) in the
‘material economy’, since both spheres are interrelated and impact
on each other."<o:p></o:p></p>
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