Conclusion

Abstract The goal of this volume has been to provide a general theoretical treatment of the socio-psychological motivations for codeswitching (CS) as a language-contact phenomenon. The arguments have been illustrated with many naturally occurring examples from African contexts; the volume is also, therefore, a description of the types of CS which involve African languages. As such, the result is, I hope, not only an explanation of the motivations of CS, but also a view of those aspects of African life glimpsed in everyday conversations involving CS. Descriptive emphasis has been on Kenya and especially its capital, Nairobi. A number of examples from Harare, Zimbabwe, are also included. Additional examples from other areas of Africa make the case that the phenomena discussed are not localized; they come from other areas of Africa, such as the capitals of Senegal (Dakar) and Nigeria (Lagos), as well as from Zaïre and Ghana. References to CS in other areas of the world are additional evidence of the generality of the phenomenon and its motivations.