Andries Coetzee

Associate Professor of Linguistics

My research focus is on the phonological aspects of language variation. The unique linguistic situation in South Africa is an ideal laboratory for studying this. There are many different languages spoken in South Africa (11 official languages, and many smaller languages). There is extensive contact between the different languages which leads to interesting language change and variation. The major changes in South African society over the past decade have also resulted in changes in the socio-economic status of several languages. Such changes also introduce variation and change into language. The socio-economic, political and linguistic situation in South Africa provides a unique opportunity for studying how all these factors interact and influence each other.

Africa Index