Linguistic landscapes and dominant language constellations: the multilingual behaviour of minoritised migrant populations in Lusaka, Zambia

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dc.contributor.authorSimungala, Gabriel
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-12T13:49:05Z
dc.date.available2025-08-12T13:49:05Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractWithin the broader theoretical and methodological contexts of linguistic landscapes, where language(s) displayed and used in public spaces serve as analytic lenses, this paper draws on the public spaces of Bauleni township, a peri-urban community of Lusaka, Zambia (South-Central Africa) to describe the multilingual behaviour of migrant populations. Focusing on the presence (and visibility) of Mambwe-Namwanga, two minoritised language groups in Zambia’s sociolinguistic mix, the article shows that as people migrate, it is not always the case that they lose their language(s) for they carry with them their linguistic repertoire which they blend with those found in the new space. To this end, the article uses the outlook of the linguistic landscape and connects it to the dominant language constellations of the Mambwe-Namwanga migrant populations. It argues that while adopting the languages found and used in Bauleni, Mambwe-Namwanga actors simultaneously imprint their presence on the linguistic landscape. These imprints serve as cultural expressions, markers of self-assertion, and symbols of identity, reflecting the dynamic interplay of language and migration in the construction of multilingual spaces.
dc.identifier.citationSimungala, G., 2025. Linguistic Landscapes and Dominant Language Constellations: The Multilingual Behaviour of Minoritised Migrant Populations in Lusaka, Zambia. Language Matters, 56(1), pp.3-23.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2025.2460031
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/20695
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectcoexistence
dc.subjectminoritised
dc.subjectmultilingualism
dc.subjectmultilingual repertoire
dc.subjectselfasserting narratives
dc.titleLinguistic landscapes and dominant language constellations: the multilingual behaviour of minoritised migrant populations in Lusaka, Zambia
dc.typeArticle

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