Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates African youth language by discussing collaborative research methods that involve young speakers. As creators of linguistic practices, youths are important players in the shaping of language ecologies and in understanding how these language practices work.

Paper long abstract:

Youth are often considered as leaders of linguistic change. Studies on African youth language practices have illustrated the creative development of and critical engagement with language practices especially (but not exclusively) in multilingual and diverse urban settings (e.g. Mensah 2016, Hurst-Harosh & Kanana Erastus 2018). In our collaborative research project on African youth language practices, we investigate the grammatical, stylistic and sociolinguistic development of language through working together with young speakers in Eastern and Southern Africa. Apart from interviews and participant observation, we also work together with African youth by actively engaging them in knowledge production processes. As makers of youth culture and youth language, young speakers exhibit diverse creative skills, not only as linguistic engineers but also as experts on researching these practices. The linguistic ideologies and theoretical knowledge of young speakers regarding their own as well as others’ linguistic performances are crucial in the understanding of youth languages and linguistic change at large. In this talk, we seek to explore and discuss our methods of and experiences with collaborative research with African youths.