Reading Group #5

Language in The Gambia – VIRTUAL READING GROUP AND CONVERSATION SERIES Full description HERE / Summaries of previous meetings HERE

The Language in The Gambia Virtual Reading Group will have its fifth meeting on Tuesday 19 October @ 5.30pm Gambian time (6.30pm UK time). We will discuss Section 7.2 (p. 143-154) of the following PhD thesis: McGlynn, C., 2013. Language in Education Policy and Practice in Post-Colonial Africa: An ethnographic case-study of The Gambia (Doctoral dissertation, University of East London). [download]. In her PhD thesis, McGlynn highlights that the English only official language in education policy regularly seems to be breached, i.e. she suggest that Gambian languages are used daily in classrooms to support learning. The results she presents in Section 7.2 of her PhD thesis concern the fact that Gambian languages feature differently in urban and rural classrooms. McGlynn suggests that in urban schools Mandinka and Wolof tend to be used in classrooms (‘lingua franca’ system) whereas in rural schools, teachers and children use a greater variety of Gambian languages (‘serial monolingualism’ system).

Where: WE ARE NO LONGER USING ZOOM! To join the discussion at the scheduled time, click on this MICROSOFT TEAMS link.

The link will open a web page, where you’ll see two choices: Download the Windows app and Join on the web instead. If you join on the web, you can use either Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Your browser may ask if it’s okay for Teams to use your mic and camera. Be sure to allow it so you’ll be seen and heard in your meeting.

Enter your name and choose your audio and video settings. Select Phone audio if you want to listen to the meeting on your mobile phone.

You can also participate through our WhatsApp group by sending your phone number to clyde.ancarno@kcl.ac.uk. We encourage all members to join our WhatsApp group so they can follow the contributions of our reading group members who will be able to join us via WhatsApp only. If you have technical issues on please join through WhatsApp. We’ll monitor the WhatsApp group each meeting.

When: Tuesday 19 October @ 5.30pm Gambian time (6.30pm UK time).

Who: ALL welcome!

LINE UP

This is a suggested line up containing research articles, chapters and dissertations. Recommendations from our group members are always welcome.

We meet the third Tuesday of each month. We will not meet in August and December.