This study investigates how migration to Ghana affects the language use and language choice of East African migrant students and workers in specific domains. The study explores strategies employed by these migrants to negotiate challenges encountered during communication in selected linguistic spaces to meet their socioeconomic needs in Ghana. The paper also aims to explore the effect of migration on their language use both in Ghana and their home countries. Specific linguistic spaces considered include residential, work/campus, and market environments. The main findings of the study show that due to the completely different linguistic landscape in Ghana, migration compels East African migrant students and workers to use English or learn Ghanaian local languages, especially, in domains such as their places of residence, work/campus and the market place, rather than their preferred language choice, which would be Kiswahili. Particularly, to negotiate in communicative situations at the market places, they usually have to resort to strategies such as soliciting interpretation assistance from local people and/or using signs and body gestures.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:72137 |
| Date | 14 September 2020 |
| Creators | Dzahene-Quarshie, Josephine, Marjie, Sarah |
| Contributors | Universität Leipzig |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 1614-2373, urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa2-721318, qucosa:72131 |
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