Edited by Anne Schröder
[Varieties of English Around the World G65] 2021
► pp. 241–272
This chapter looks at linguistic diversity as represented in two Namibian novels, discussing aspects of authenticity, identity formation, style-shifting, and meta-language, but also the representation of multilingualism in literary texts. By combining linguistic analysis with literary study, the chapter sheds light on questions of language ideology and the representation of language groups, some marginalized, in the multi-lingual and multi-cultural make-up of the Namibian nation at its beginning and during the first years of its existence. This will help to gain some insights into the construction of ‘Namibianness’ during the struggle for and the first years after independence.