International African Institute
Encyclopedia
The International African Institute (IAI) was founded (as the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures [IIALC]) in 1926 in London
for the study of African languages
. Diedrich Hermann Westermann
was co-director from 1926 to 1939.
Since 1928, the IAI has published a quarterly journal, Africa
.
The IAI's mission is "to promote the education of the public in the study of Africa and its languages and cultures". Its operations includes seminars, journals, monographs, edited volumes and stimulating scholarship withn Africa.
" to facilitate standardization of Latin-based writing systems for African languages.
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the study of African languages
Languages of Africa
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
. Diedrich Hermann Westermann
Diedrich Hermann Westermann
Diedrich Hermann Westermann was a German missionary, Africanist, and linguist. He substantially extended and revised the work of Carl Meinhof, his teacher, although he rejected some of Meinhof's theories only implicitly...
was co-director from 1926 to 1939.
Since 1928, the IAI has published a quarterly journal, Africa
Africa (journal)
Africa is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute. The journal takes an interdisciplinary approach considering the humanities, social sciences, and environmental sciences in Africa...
.
The IAI's mission is "to promote the education of the public in the study of Africa and its languages and cultures". Its operations includes seminars, journals, monographs, edited volumes and stimulating scholarship withn Africa.
Archives
The archives of the International African Institute are held at the Archives Division of the Library of the London School of Economics. An online catalogue of these papers is available.Africa alphabet
In 1928, the IAI (then IIALC) published an "Africa AlphabetAfrica Alphabet
The Africa Alphabet was developed in 1928 under the lead of Diedrich Westermann. He developed it with a group of Africanists at the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures in London...
" to facilitate standardization of Latin-based writing systems for African languages.
Prize for African language literature, 1929-50
From April 1929 to 1950, the IAI offered prizes for works of literature in African languagesAfrican languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
.