The papers in this volume fall under two main themes. The first deals broadly with multilingualism and language contact in West Africa in general and Cameroon in particular. Important topics discussed in this section include: the structure and discursive use(s) of the various forms and uses of Pidgin English, the ways the French language and African languages have influenced each other through loaning (both direct and indirect) and a description of local forms of "Africanised European" languages (especially French). The second part concerns language teaching and learning in contact situations. Important topics discussed under this section include: multilingualism and second language acquisition, interference, a lexical appraisal of the language of second (third) language learners, and the influence of European languages on the learning of other European languages in West Africa.