Dr. Serge Sagna

Biography

Serge Sagna is a Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Manchester with a focus on language documentation and description. He has held postdoctoral research positions at the University of Surrey, the University of York, and his current role at the University of Manchester. His academic journey includes an African PhD in Endangered Languages from SOAS, University of London. He teaches courses in Language Policy Planning and Societal Multilingualism, and has developed a new research program emphasizing the development of African languages. His research interests include Endangered Languages, Child Language Acquisition, Linguistic Typology—particularly Niger-Congo noun class systems—and Anthropological Linguistics. Additionally, he is committed to producing educational materials supporting language preservation and awareness, particularly focusing on minority languages like Eegimaa from Senegal. Sagna advocates for 'Mother Tongue' education and believes in the importance of linguistics for effective educational programming. He also has experience in organizing summer schools on Language Documentation in Morocco and Ghana and has engaged with UN Sustainable Development Goals through his work.

Research Interests

Courses