Applied linguistics is a field of enquiry that spans a wide array of areas and
draws from theoretical and empirical approaches from diverse disciplines to
develop a deeper understanding of real-world language-related phenomena
and their practical implications in various contexts. Despite its dynamic and
evolving nature, a great deal of applied linguistics research has traditionally
leaned towards Western perspectives. There have recently been calls in
applied linguistics for ‘a shift toward the Global South, in particular Africa’
(Makoni, Idem & Rudwick, 2023, p. 1). In response to this call from Sinfree
Makoni and others for a distinctly African perspective in applied linguistics
(see e.g. Makoni & Meinhof 2004), we plan an edited volume to bring together
applied linguistics research that adopts African epistemologies and
frameworks. The volume recognises the necessity for critical evaluation and
reflexivity in this field, aiming to explore African linguistic realities and shift the
focus from Western lenses to a more nuanced examination of the continent's
linguistic practices. The volume represents a crucial initiative to address
existing gaps in applied linguistics research on the African continent.

In doing so, we aim to engage with the evolving landscape of applied
linguistics of the 21st century in Africa by identifying fresh “afro-centric”
perspectives on existing applied linguistic theories.
We invite papers that focus on the unique linguistic realities, practices and
challenges, as well as future directions in applied linguistics in Africa. The
volume will be published by Trends in Applied Linguistics (De Gruyter Mouton)
in 2025.

Contributions could address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
i. Language in society in Africa
ii. Linguistic identity
iii. Language in education in Africa
iv. Language policy and planning in Africa
v. Multilingualism and language contact
vi. Language attitudes in Africa
vii. Decolonising perspectives in Applied Linguistics in Africa
viii. Race in African Applied Linguistics
ix. Globalisation, technology, and language use in Africa
x. Language and the internet
xi. Corpora and language teaching and learning.
xii. African varieties of English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
xiii. Emerging theoretical approaches and methodologies in applied linguistics
in Africa
xiv. Issues of nomenclature, typology and categorisation

Submission guidelines
i. Abstracts for proposed contributions should be no longer than 500 words
(including references) and accompanied by a maximum of five keywords.
ii. Manuscripts invited for review should not exceed 8,000 words (including
references, tables and footnotes).
iii. Manuscripts can be submitted in any preferred style but the font of the text
should be 12 point Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing for review. Detailed
formatting according to the publisher’s guidelines will only be necessary for
accepted manuscripts after the peer review process.
iv. To be accepted for review, manuscripts should be original and not under
consideration for publication elsewhere.
v. All manuscripts should be submitted electronically in MS Word as an
attachment to [email protected] by July 28, 2024.
vi. All submitted manuscripts will be subject to a double-blind peer review.

Important dates
January 31, 2024: Deadline for submission of abstracts
February 15, 2024: Notification of acceptance/rejection of abstracts
July 28, 2024: Submission of full paper
September 30, 2024: Reviewed papers are returned to authors
October 31, 2024: Submission of revised paper
December 20, 2024: Submission to the publisher

For enquiries, please contact the editors:
Folajimi Oyebola
University of Bremen
[email protected]

Kingsley O. Ugwuanyi
SOAS University of London
[email protected]

Eric Anchimbe
University of Bayreuth
[email protected]

Babatunji Adepoju
University of Lagos
[email protected]

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics