Team > PD Dr. Eric Anchimbe
PD Dr. Eric Anchimbe
Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Englische Sprachwissenschaft
Eric A. Anchimbe is an Associate Professor for English Linguistics at the University of Bayreuth. He is a Principal Investigator in the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence and the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) both at the University of Bayreuth. He is the author and editor of several books on varieties of English, identity construction, language policy and pragmatics. His current research focuses on the pragmatics of Postcolonial Englishes (using the framework, Postcolonial Pragmatics, he and Richard Janney introduced), sociolinguistics, World Englishes and political discourse. His recent monograph, Offers and Offer Refusals: A Postcolonial Pragmatics Perspective on World Englishes (2018, Benjamins), fills a gap in the meagre literature on pragmatics of African Englishes.
List of Publications here:
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7121-8312
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-a-anchimbe-490011349/
CV
Academic Career
| since 2015 | Associate Professor of English Linguistics, University of Bayreuth |
| 2017 | Substitute (Vertretung) Professor of English Linguistics, University of Greifswald |
| 2007 - 2015 | Assistant Professor of English Linguistics, University of Bayreuth |
| 2005 - 2007 | Sessional lecturer for English Linguistics, LMU Munich |
| 2000 - 2003 | Research and teaching graduate assistant, Department of English, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon |
Positions
| 2015 | Habilitation (Venia Legendi) in English Linguistics, University of Bayreuth |
| 2005 | PhD in English Linguistics, LMU Munich |
| 2001 | Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in English Linguistics, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon |
| 1999 | MA in English Linguistics, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon |
| 1997 | BA in Modern English Letters, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon |
Academic Service
| since 2019 | Principal Investigator in the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence: Reconfiguring African Studies, University of Bayreuth |
| since 2012 | Senior Fellow (Principal Investigator) in the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), University of Bayreuth |
| 2012 - 2018 | Editor-in-chief of NAB: Newsletter of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth (Institute of African Studies) |
| 2015 - 2017 | Diversity and Gender Representative of BIGSAS, University of Bayreuth |
Award and Grants
| 2013 | Research Award (Wissenschaftspreis) of the University of Bayreuth |
| 2003 - 2004 | DAAD Postgraduate Research Grant |
Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Englische Sprachwissenschaft
- Pragmatics (Postcolonial pragmatics)
- World Englishes, Postcolonial Englishes
- Sociolinguistics
- Political discourse (from below)
- Mediated communication online
- Language policy in Africa
- Postcolonial linguistics
Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Englische Sprachwissenschaft
Publications
2026
The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Volume 3. World Englishes. 2nd Edition
publ: Chapelle, Carol A.; Anchimbe, Eric A.
Oxford : Wiley, 2026
doi:10.1002/9781405198431 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Postcolonial Pragmatics and World Englishes
The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. 2nd Edition
Oxford : Wiley, 2026
doi:10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal20146 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
World Englishes : Overview
The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. 2nd Edition
Oxford : Wiley, 2026
doi:10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1349.pub2 ...
2025
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Knowledges in Conflict : Conceptualizations of Age in Colonial Letters
Knowing - Unknowing : African Studies at the Crossroads
Amsterdam : Brill, 2025. - page 217-236 . - (Africa Multiple; 4)
doi:10.1163/9789004701441_012 ...
2021
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Age and Social Interaction : Linguistic Choices in Collectivist Postcolonial Contexts
Old Age in African Literary and Cultural Contexts
Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021. - page 121-136
https://cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-6 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Individual lives in collectivist faces : On social norms in a radio show
Research Developments in World Englishes
London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2021. - page 231-250 . - (Bloomsbury Advances in World Englishes)
doi:10.5040/9781350167087.ch-011 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Socio-ethnic stereotypes and the refusal of offers
in Ghana Journal of Linguistics volume 10 (2021) issue 1. - page 73-92
https://laghana.org/gjl/index.php/gjl/article/view ...
2020
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Naming food in English in multilingual Cameroon
Talking about Food : The social and the Global in Eating Communities
Amsterdam : Benjamins, 2020. - page 257-276 . - (IMPACT; 47)
doi:10.1075/impact.47.13anc ...
2018
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Cameroon Pidgin as index of speakers’ social statuses and roles : Evidence from literary texts ...
Creolization and pidginization in contexts of postcolonial diversity : language, culture, identity
Leiden : Brill, 2018. - page 360-383 . - (Brill's Studies in Language, Cognition and Culture; 17)
doi:10.1163/9789004363397_019 ...
2018
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Offers and Offer Refusals : a Postcolonial Pragmatics Perspective on World Englishes
Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins, 2018. - 316 page . - (Pragmatics & Beyond : New Series; 298)
doi:10.1075/pbns.298 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
The roots of the anglophone problem : Language and politics in Cameroon
in Current History volume 117 (2018) issue 799. - page 169-174
doi:10.1525/curh.2018.117.799.169 ...
2017
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Africa is not a game" : Constructions of ex-colonized and ex-colonizer entities online
Contested Communities : Communication, Narration, Imagination
Leiden : Rodopi, 2017. - page 95-112 . - (Cross/Cultures; 190)
doi:10.1163/9789004335288_008 ...
2016
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Digital Narratives of Belonging as Anglophone or Francophone in a Cameroon Online News Forum
in Open Linguistics volume 2 (2016) issue 1. - page 511-527
doi:10.1515/opli-2016-0027 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Pidgin goes Public : Urban Institutional Space in Cameroon
Re-Inventing the Postcolonial (in the) Metropolis
Leiden : Brill, 2016. - page 379-399 . - (Cross/Cultures; 188)
doi:10.1163/9789004328761_024 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Invoking Kinship in Offers and Refusals : A Postcolonial Pragmatics Perspective
Pragmatic Perspectives on Postcolonial Discourse : Linguistics and Literature
Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016. - page 1-23
2015
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Code-switching : Between identity and exclusion
Code-switching Between Structural and Sociolinguistic Perspectives
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2015. - page 139-162
doi:10.1515/9783110346879.139 ...
2014
Anchimbe, Eric A.
reviewed by: Chapelle, Carol A. (Ed.): The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. 2013
in The LINGUIST list (2014)
2014
Structural and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Indigenisation : on Multilingualism and Language ...
publ: Anchimbe, Eric A.
Dordrecht : Springer, 2014. - 213 page
doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7881-8 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Attitudes Towards Cameroon English : A Sociolinguistic Survey
Structural and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Indigenisation : On Multilingualism and Language Evolution
Dordrecht : Springer, 2014. - page 121-143
doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7881-8_7 ...
Dashaco, Veronica A.; Anchimbe, Eric A.
Gender and the use of Tags in Cameroon English Discourse
Structural and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Indigenisation : On Multilingualism and Language Evolution
Dordrecht : Springer, 2014. - page 145-166
doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7881-8_8 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Global identities or local stigma markers: How equal is the "E" in Englishes in Cameroon?
Englishes in Multilingual Contexts : Language Variation and Education
Dordrecht : Springer, 2014. - page 47-62 . - (Multilingual Education; 10)
doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8869-4_4 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Introduction: Indigenisation and Multilingualism : Extending the Debate on Language Evolution i ...
Structural and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Indigenisation : On Multilingualism and Language Evolution
Dordrecht : Springer, 2014. - page 1-19
doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7881-8_1 ...
2013
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Language Policy and Identity Construction : The Dynamics of Cameroon's Multilingualism
Amsterdam : Benjamins, 2013. - XXII, 250 page . - (IMPACT; 32)
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Motions of support" and the communicative act of thanking in political discourse
The Pragmatics of Political Discourse : Explorations across Cultures
Amsterdam : Benjamins, 2013. - page 219-242 . - (Pragmatics & Beyond : New Series; 228)
doi:10.1075/pbns.228.12anc ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Varieties of English in Cameroon
The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics
Chichester : Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. - page 6068-6071
doi:10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1256 ...
2012
Mühleisen, Susanne; Anchimbe, Eric A.
Gud Nyus fo Pidgin? Bible translation as language elaboration in Cameroon Pidgin English
Language Contact in a Postcolonial Setting : The Linguistic and Social Context of English and Pidgin in Cameroon
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2012. - page 245-268
doi:10.1515/9781614511199.245 ...
2012
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Language Contact in a Postcolonial Setting : the Linguistic and Social Context of English and P ...
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2012. - 323 page . - (Language Contact and Bilingualism; 4)
doi:10.1515/9781614511199 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Lexical strategies in verbal linguistic victimisation in Cameroon
in English Today volume 28 (2012) issue 2. - page 39-46
doi:10.1017/S0266078412000144 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
The filtration processes in Cameroon English
Language Contact in a Postcolonial Setting : The Linguistic and Social Context of English and Pidgin in Cameroon
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2012. - page 117-139
doi:10.1515/9781614511199.117 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Language contact in a postcolonial setting : Research approaches to Cameroon English and Camero ...
Language Contact in a Postcolonial Setting : The Linguistic and Social Context of English and Pidgin in Cameroon
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2012. - page 3-25
doi:10.1515/9781614511199.3 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Private dialogue in public space : "Motions of support" letters as response
to political actio ...
Dialogue in Politics
Amsterdam : Benjamins, 2012. - page 127-148
doi:10.1075/ds.18.10anc ...
2011
Anchimbe, Eric A.
On not calling people by their names : Pragmatic undertones of sociocultural relationships in a ...
in Journal of Pragmatics volume 43 (2011) issue 6. - page 1472-1483
doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.013 ...
2011
Postcolonial Linguistic Voices : Identity Choices and Representations
publ: Anchimbe, Eric A.; Mforteh, Stephen A.
Berlin : De Gruyter Mouton, 2011. - 365 page . - (Contributions to the Sociology of Language; 100)
doi:10.1515/9783110260694 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.; Janney, Richard W.
Postcolonial pragmatics : an introduction
in Journal of Pragmatics volume 43 (2011) issue 6. - page 1451-1459
doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.027 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Socio-historical landmarks in francophone Cameroonians' resistance to English
in Revue Internationale des Arts, Lettres et Sciences Sociales volume 1 (2011) issue 4. - page 1-21
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Cameroon English speakers' attitudes and prestige
Langues et Discours en Contextes Urbains au Cameroun : (Dé)Constructions - Complexités
Paris : Harmattan, 2011. - page 101-119
Anchimbe, Eric A.
The English language and the construction of a Cameroon anglophone identity
Postcolonial Linguistic Voices : Identity Choices and Representations
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2011. - page 77-96
doi:10.1515/9783110260694.77 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Postcolonial linguistic voices : Stitching together identity choices and their representations
Postcolonial Linguistic Voices : Identity Choices and Representations
Berlin : De Gruyter, 2011. - page 3-21
doi:10.1515/9783110260694.3 ...
2011
Postcolonial Pragmatics
publ: Anchimbe, Eric A.; Janney, Richard W.
Journal of Pragmatics
2011
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Take a beer" – "Thanks. Sorry, I prefer another day" : A postcolonial pragmatic perspective on ...
Anglistentag 2010 Saarbrücken : Proceedings
Trier : Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2011. - page 421-431
2010
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Constructing a Diaspora Anglophone Cameroonian Identity Online
Handbook of Research on Discourse Behavior and Digital Communication : Language Structures and Social Interaction
Hershey : Information Science Reference, 2010. - page 130-144
doi:10.4018/978-1-61520-773-2.ch008 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Demystifying the native-speaker myth in the New Englishes
Language, Literature and Discourse : A Festschrift in Honour of Professor A. L. Oyeleye
München : LINCOM Europa, 2010. - page 1-22
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Ein Sprache für einige Wenige" : Rassistische Untertöne bei der Verbreitung von kolonialen Spr ...
Rassismus auf gut Deutsch : Ein kritisches Nachschlagewerk zu rassistischen Sprachhandlungen
Frankfurt am Main : Brandes & Apsel, 2010. - page 280-290
2009
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Post-integrational restructuring of new lexical elements in Cameroon English
in Annals of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences / University of Yaounde I (2009) . - page 83-100
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Revisiting the notion of maturation in new Englishes
in World Englishes volume 28 (2009) issue 3. - page 336-351
doi:10.1111/j.1467-971X.2009.01596.x ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Local or International Standards : Indigenized Varieties of English at the Crossroads
English as an International Language : Perspectives and Pedagogical Issues
Bristol, UK : Multilingual Matters, 2009. - page 271-286
doi:10.2307/jj.27195453.20 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"That’s a myth" : Linguistic avoidance as a political face-saving strategy in broadcast intervi ...
Face, Communication and Social Interaction
London : Equinox, 2009. - page 96-114
doi:10.3138/9781845537258-006 ...
2008
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Giving English-speaking tongues a name
in Issues in Intercultural Communication volume 2 (2008) issue 1. - page 29-44
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Multilingual backgrounds and the identity issue in Cameroon
in Anuario del seminario de filología Vasca "Julio de Urquijo" volume 39 (2008) issue 2. - page 33-48
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codig ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.; Anchimbe, Stella A.
Sociolinguistic variables in the "degeneracy" of English in postcolonial ("non-native") context ...
in Anuario del seminario de filología Vasca "Julio de Urquijo" volume 39 (2008) issue 2. - page 13-31
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codig ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Veto the war but let no French head fall" : Linguistic avoidance strategies in Jacques Chirac' ...
in Journal of Language and Politics volume 7 (2008) issue 1. - page 156-170
doi:10.1075/jlp.7.1.08anc ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Bend it like a banana" : Representing the ecology in live football commentaries
The Linguistics of Football
Tübingen : Narr, 2008. - page 133-142
Anchimbe, Eric A.
"Come greet Uncle Eric" : Politeness through kinship terms
De la Politesse Linguistique au Cameroun = Linguistic Politeness in Cameroon
Frankfurt am Main : Peter Lang, 2008. - page 109-120
2007
Linguistic Identity in Postcolonial Multilingual Spaces
publ: Anchimbe, Eric A.
Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007. - 351 page
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/linguistic-ident ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
reviewed by: Müller, Simone: Discourse Markers in Native and Non-native English Discourse. Amsterdam, 2006
in Anglia : Zeitschrift für englische Philologie volume 125 (2007) issue 1. - page 104-108
doi:10.1515/ANGL.2007.104 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Introduction: Multilingualism, postcolonialism and linguistic identity : Towards a new vision o ...
Linguistic Identity in Postcolonial Multilingual Spaces
Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007. - page 1-22
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Linguabridity : Redefining linguistic identities among children in urban areas
Linguistic Identity in Postcolonial Multilingual Spaces
Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007. - page 66-86
2006
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Cameroon English : authenticity, ecology and evolution
Frankfurt am Main : Peter Lang, 2006 . - (Arbeiten zur Sprachanalyse; 45)
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Coping with meaning changes in a West African English language classroom
in Journal of Language and Learning volume 4 (2006) issue 1. - page 50-62
http://webspace.buckingham.ac.uk/kbernhardt/journa ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Linguabridity : Redefining linguistic identities among children in urban area
in TRANS : Internet-Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften (2006) issue 16
http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/03_2/anchimbe16.htm
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Local meaning in the English of West Africa
in English Today volume 22 (2006) issue 2. - page 50-54
doi:10.1017/S0266078406002094S0266078406002094 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
The native speaker fever in English language teaching (ELT) : Pitting pedagogical competence ag ...
in Linguistik online volume 26 (2006) issue 1. - page 3-14
doi:10.13092/lo.26.618 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
On norms and prejudices : The notion of "maturation" in New Englishes
in Interlingüística (2006) issue 17. - page 151-160
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codig ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
World Englishes and the American Tongue
in English Today volume 22 (2006) issue 4. - page 3-9
doi:10.1017/S0266078406004020 ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Functional seclusion and the future of indigenous languages in Africa : The case of Cameroon
Selected Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference on African Linguistics:
African Languages and Linguistics in Broad Perspectives
Somerville, MA : Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2006. - page 94-103
https://www.lingref.com/cpp/acal/35/paper1300.pdf
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Hybrid linguistic identities in postcolonial Africa : The intricacy of identity opportunism in ...
New Hybridities : Societies and Cultures in Transition
Hildesheim : Olms, 2006. - page 237-261
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Slippery pathways in the implementation of French-English bilingualism in Cameroon
Language, Literature and Identity
Göttingen : Cuvillier, 2006. - page 191-199
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Socio-pragmatic constraints to native or indigenous language education in Cameroon
Selected Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference on African Linguistics:
Shifting the Center of Africanism in Language Politics and Economic Globalization
Somerville, MA : Cascadilla Proceedings Project, 2006. - page 133-141
https://www.lingref.com/cpp/acal/36/paper1417.pdf
2005
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Anglophonism and francophonism : the stakes of (official) language identity in Cameroon
in Alizés : Revue Angliciste de la Réunion volume 25/26 (2005) . - page 7-26
Anchimbe, Eric A.
The World Englishes in the American tongue
in Philologie im Netz (2005) issue 32. - page 1-14
http://web.fu-berlin.de/phin/phin32/p32t1.htm
2004
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Creating new names for common things in Cameroon English
in The Internet TESL Journal volume 10 (2004) issue 8
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Anchimbe-CameroonEnglis ...
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Official language extrapolation and the home language survival in Cameroon
in Interlingüística (2004) issue 15,1. - page 141-150
Anchimbe, Eric A.
Lexical markers of social (youth) group communication in Cameroon
Proceedings of 4th Postgraduate Research Forum on Linguistics
Hong Kong : The University of Hong Kong, 2004. - page 1-8
Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Englische Sprachwissenschaft
PD Dr. Eric Anchimbe
Akademischer Rat
Lehrstuhl für Englische Sprachwissenschaft
Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Universitätsstr. 30
Building: GW I
Room: 1.21
95447 Bayreuth
Germany
Fax: +49 (0)921 / 55-3565
Phone: +49 (0)921 / 55-3571
E-mail: eric.anchimbe@uni-bayreuth.de
Office hours: by appointment