Ethnic Studies Review
From Cousin Joe to the Comoros: Orthography and the Politics of Choice in Africa and African America
Orginal Publication Date
2003
Journal Title
Ethnic Studies Review
Volume
26
Issue
esr/vol26/iss2
First Page
58
Last Page
67
Abstract
This paper explores issues of orthographic representation in two different projects, in two different locations, and draws some general conclusions about the role of an outsider linguistic anthropologist in working with individuals and their data. One project involved helping Cousin Joe, a blues singer from New Orleans, to edit his autobiography for publication. The other project involved developing a bilingual, bidirectional, Shinzwani-English dictionary for the Comoro Islands. Each project required an awareness of-and sensitivity to-the cultural and political implications of orthographic decisions.
Rights
Copyright ©ESR, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 2003
Comments
Fair Access