This edited volume highlights various aspects of a hitherto neglected research topic. During the relatively short period of German colonialism (1884-1918/20) in Africa, China and Oceania, literally hundreds of texts were produced which treat of the indigenous languages of the German colonial empire. Many of these texts have never appeared in print. The contributions are indicative of the wealth of interesting insights (the historiography of) linguistics will gain from a thorough-going (re-)appraisal of the linguistic efforts of missionaries, state employees, military personnel, merchants, settlers, travelers and other individuals during the German colonial rule (and the revanchist inter-war period).

The volume marks the beginnings of a new collaborative research program, viz. Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistics. The scholarly articles assembled in this volume discuss various topics related to languages such as Chamorro, Chuuk, Ewe, Ewondo, Kanuri, Khoekowap, Nauruan, Weskos. The role of German in Kiautschou is focused upon, too. The colonialist ideology is traced in the typical examples used in grammar books of the indigenous languages in the African colonies of imperial Germany. The volume addresses a readership with an interest in the history of descriptive linguistics and field- linguistics, language typology, and language ideology.