Department of African Studies
Linguists in the Department of African Studies at the University of Vienna focus on the study of African languages from descriptive, theoretical, comparative, and interdisciplinary perspectives. While offering proficiency courses in major languages of wider communication like Hausa and Swahili, we concentrate mainly on descriptive and formal theoretical analyses of a wide range of languages, including Akan and other Kwa languages, Bambara and other Mande languages, Dagaare and other Mabia (Gur) languages, Hausa and other Chadic languages, Kanuri and other (Nilo-) Saharan languages, Swahili and other Bantu languages, and Wolof and other Atlantic languages.
In addition to our descriptive and theoretical linguistic focus, using formal grammatical theories such as Lexical-Functional Grammar and the Minimalist framework, linguists in the Department also do research within sociolinguistics and other areas of linguistics, including language typology, multilingualism, contact languages, language change, language acquisition, and computer-mediated communication.
Beyond the focus on language structure and use in Africa, individuals and research groups are increasingly looking at linguistic and other socio-cultural phenomena in African Diaspora communities in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. Given the interdisciplinary nature of our research, we actively collaborate with linguists and related scholars in other departments at the University of Vienna, and, indeed, internationally.