Language Education Policy and Portuguese Dominant Ideology in Angola: Historical Processes, Discourses and Impacts

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to map the historical and ideological processes that led to the current Angolan language education policies and their impacts. The chapter combines Tollefson’s historical-structural approach to examine how the interests of dominant sociopolitical groups are maintained through medium of instruction policies with an examination inspired by Educational Linguistics research. In addition, the paper problematises and critically analyses how Portuguese dominant ideologies influence and are influenced by circulating discourses and how these shape language learning policies and parents’ decisions regarding language choice and provides future prospects on the use of African languages as medium of instruction in schools in Angola. It has been argued that the allocation of the status provides greater chances to improve societal functions of language. It is, therefore, recommended that further steps be made towards the recognition of African languages not only as part of cultural and linguistic heritage of the country, but also as medium of instruction. It is imperative that the statuses of languages and African languages in particular be put to public scrutiny, that is, by promoting a national debate on the current linguistic situation and its implication for the protection of linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Angola.