The West African Linguistic Society (French: Société de Linguistique de lâÂÂAfrique de lâÂÂOuest)(abbreviated as WALS or SLAO) is an academic scholarly society formed in 1965 to encourage research in the West African languages and literature. Every other year, WALS hosts a conference for its members to meet and discuss current issues in African linguistic research. The society also publishes the Journal of West African Languages. Its current headquarters are in Benin City, Nigeria.
WALS fosters research on West African languages and provides a permanent forum for interaction and exchange of ideas among African-language scholars. WALS additionally aims to foster conversation among language boundaries between Anglophone and Francophone West Africa.
WALS is a non-profit organization. Throughout its establishment, WALS has helped develop programs in African linguistics at a variety of universities in the region.
The society has a number of working groups that focus on more specific topics, such as French and English language education and African short story creation.
WALS hosts a biennial congress on West African linguistic research. Past locations of the congress meeting have been in numerous countries, such as Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. As its members often either speak English or French, hosting countries alternate between Anglophone and Francophone ones.
WALS is now a member of the Federation Internationale des Langues et Literatures Modernes (FILLM).
Membership of WALS is largely drawn from academics and researchers in universities and research institutes. Members primarily come from West African countries, but include scholars from all over the world, including countries such as the United States and Austria. Professor Lendzemo Constantine Yuka of the University of Benin is the current president of WALS.
Notable members have included: