Introduction—Indigenisation and Multilingualism: Extending the Debate on Language Evolution in Cameroon

This introductory chapter outlines the aims and objectives of this book, i.e. to further illustrate, using authentic, naturally-occurring data, processes of indigenisation in two ex-colonial languages, English and French, and a Pidgin, Cameroon Pidgin English, in Cameroon. Additionally, the volume investigates patterns of indigenisation beyond the level of grammar but at the level of discourse and social interaction from pragmatic and sociolinguistic perspectives. To achieve these aims, and by way of explaining the line of thinking in the chapters, this chapter defines the concept of indigenisation and situates it within current descriptions of postcolonial language varieties. It identifies the linguistic levels of indigenisation expounded on in the volume; explains the varied sources of indigenised features; and discerns the status of each language and their contribution to indigenisation within this multilingual setting.