Journal of African Languages and Linguistics

Journal of African Languages and Linguistics
Title	Journal of African Languages and Linguistics
Abbreviation	JALL
Discipline	Linguistics
Language	English
Editor	(see Editorial and Publication Details)
Publisher	(see Editorial and Publication Details)
Country	(see Editorial and Publication Details)
History	1979–present
Frequency	Biannual
Issn	(print and electronic)

Journal of African Languages and Linguistics The Journal of African Languages and Linguistics is a peer-reviewed academic periodical focusing on descriptive, theoretical, and comparative research on languages of the African continent, publishing articles on phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics. It serves researchers connected to institutions such as the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of Ibadan, and the University of Cape Town, and it is relevant to scholars associated with organizations like the Linguistic Society of America, the African Studies Association, and the International African Institute. The journal maintains ties with research traditions exemplified by figures and institutions including Joseph Greenberg, Diedrich Westermann, Noam Chomsky, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and the School of Oriental and African Studies.

History

The journal was founded in 1979 during a period of expansion in African linguistics that involved scholars from the University of Ghent, Leiden University, and the University of Dar es Salaam, drawing on earlier work by Diedrich Westermann, Clement Doke, and Ida Ward. Early editorial boards included academics affiliated with the University of Cambridge, SOAS, and the University of Ibadan, reflecting connections to projects such as the Survey of Language Use in Nigeria, the Atlas Linguistique de l'Afrique, and comparative programs linked to the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the International African Institute. Over successive decades the journal intersected with scholarly movements tied to Joseph Greenberg, Morris Swadesh, John F. A. Sawyer, and later networks around scholars at the University of Nairobi, Makerere University, and the University of Addis Ababa.

Scope and Content

The journal publishes descriptive grammars, comparative studies, fieldwork reports, and theoretical analyses relevant to languages including Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Swahili, Amharic, Somali, Wolof, Zulu, Xhosa, Shona, Berber, and Khoisan varieties, and engages with linguistic traditions associated with figures like Carl Meinhof, Maurice Delafosse, and Bronisław Malinowski. Contributions often connect to research programs and institutions such as the Royal Anthropological Institute, the British Museum's ethnographic collections, the Smithsonian Institution, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. The journal welcomes submissions that interface with field projects related to the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme, the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project, and collaborative initiatives at the University of Leiden and the University of Birmingham.

Editorial and Publication Details

Editorial leadership has historically included scholars affiliated with SOAS, Leiden University, the University of Lagos, and the University of Cape Town, and the publisher has been linked with academic presses operating in London, Amsterdam, and Nairobi, as well as associations like the African Studies Association and the International African Institute. Publication frequency is biannual with peer review procedures involving external referees drawn from networks including the Linguistic Society of America, Société de Linguistique de Paris, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft. Institutional subscribers and contributors typically come from universities such as Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Columbia University, and the University of Toronto, and research funders connected to the journal include the British Academy, the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the European Research Council.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic services and databases connected to major research infrastructures such as Scopus, Web of Science, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, and the Social Sciences Citation Index, and is discoverable via library consortia including JSTOR, Project MUSE, and WorldCat. Cataloging and library networks that reference the journal include the Library of Congress, the British Library, the National Library of South Africa, and university libraries at Yale University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Sydney.

Reception and Impact

The journal has been cited in works by scholars tied to paradigms associated with Joseph Greenberg, Noam Chomsky, Michael Halliday, and André Martinet, and has influenced descriptive and typological research undertaken at institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, the University of California, Berkeley, and the School for Advanced Study. Its impact is reflected in citations appearing in monographs published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Brill, and in doctoral dissertations from universities such as SOAS, Leiden, and the University of Pennsylvania. The journal's role in documenting underdescribed languages has been acknowledged in collaborative initiatives with UNESCO, the Endangered Languages Project, and the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Programme.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Notable contributions have included descriptive grammars and typological surveys addressing tone systems in languages studied by Joseph Greenberg and Carl Meinhof, morphosyntactic analyses echoing work by Noam Chomsky and Paul Postal, and sociophonetic studies aligned with research at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Cape Town. Special issues and themed collections have focused on topics connected to research networks at the Summer Institute of Linguistics, the International Congress of Linguists, the African Languages Association, and symposia held at institutions like SOAS, Leiden University, and the University of Nairobi, featuring contributors associated with the International African Institute, the British Academy, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

Category:Linguistics journals