In:
Written Language and Literacy, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Vol. 23, No. 2 ( 2020-12-31), p. 194-213
Abstract:
This paper investigates the resources writers activate when they spell Wolof, a West African language they usually use
more in spoken than in written communication. I apply the notion of orthographic repertoire to examine three young women’s spelling of Wolof as socially embedded practices. The analysis covers three different sets of interactional data: (1) texting by Senegalese university
students, (2) discussion forum posts, and (3) transnational digital family interaction. The spelling practices are examined with reference to the colonial history of spelling in Senegal, other contemporary informal literacies in West Africa, and the sociolinguistic context of
the writers. The paper shows that the different spelling resources related to the multilingual and mediated nature of their writing are drawn upon as the three young women engage in digital literacy practices including Wolof.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1387-6732
,
1570-6001
DOI:
10.1075/wll.00040.lex
Language:
English
Publisher:
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2038989-9
SSG:
7,11
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