Call for Articles/ Book Chapters

The aim of the present volume is to provide a platform for emerging perspectives and issues on the theory, pedagogy and practice of stylistics in African contexts with reference to both native and ex-colonial languages as well as contemporary oral and written literatures. We are seeking articles/ book chapters for a new edited volume on contemporary perspectives on stylistics in African languages and literature. In his illuminating book aptly entitled, Stylistics, Richard Bradford defines stylistics as “the analysis of distinctive expression in language and the description of its purpose and effect.” (1997:4). The language in question could either be non-literary language or literary language. In the initial case, one then talks of stylistics within language studies in general but in the latter case; one will be referring to stylistics in literature or literary stylistics. In this new volume, we define Stylistics as the study of style in language and literature. Stylistics has emerged over the years as an important field in the study of language and literature in the African academy. From the language point of view, courses in stylistics are taught in Departments of Vernacular, Swahili, and Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese languages at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the field. Such courses tackle various aspects of how the named languages are put to differential use in given language situations, socio-political environments, (inter)medial space and within non-literary texts. In recent times, Stylistics as a field in language studies has diversified into specialist areas such as textual stylistics, computational stylistics and practical stylistics. These developments call for a re-engagement with the field in light of contemporary theories of language and socio-linguistic realities. In Literature, stylistics generally refers to the application of linguistic analyses in the critical appreciation of literary texts both in oral and written traditions. Nkosi (1981), Ngara (1982) Elimimian (1992) continue to be the seminal bases of critical studies on how style is a crucial aspect in the composition and reception of modern African literature. As it is the case with Stylistics in language studies, Stylisticians in African literature studies need to expand their bases of operation in responses to the shifting dynamics and times influencing language usage in both literary and non-literary domains in contemporary African societies. Contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics are invited:

I. Stylistics and Language:
• Textual stylistics
• Practical stylistics
• Computational stylistics
• Stylistics and the teaching of Language.
• Linguistic criticism

II. Stylistics and Literature:
• Towards an African literary stylistics
• Feminist stylistics
• Literary stylistics and contemporary orature
• Literary stylistics and contemporary theatre
• Literary stylistics and contemporary written literature
• Literary stylistics and the Teaching of African literature

Interested contributors are invited to send a short abstract of 300 words by 31 January 2009 to:

J. K. S. Makokha makokha@zedat.fu-berlin.de John Obiero Ogone obby3@yahoo.com

Final contributions (5000 - 8000 words, MLA style) to be submitted by 31 July 2009