Phrasebooks and the Shaping of Conduct in Colonial Africa, ca. 1884–1914

Abstract

The article discusses the role that phrasebooks played in the administration of European colonies in Africa from circa 1884 through 1914. An overview of the role that phrasebooks played in the communication between European colonialists and colonized Africans, including in regard to the former's ability to communicate in local African languages, is provided.