The Politics of Language Policy in Relation with Identity Issue in Contemporary Africa: Case of Tunisia

Abstract

This Article outlines the politics of language policies in Tunisia in relation with the issue of Tunisian identity. The Tunisian society is a multilingual one par excellence, since pre-colonialism and due to its strategic location, Tunisia witnessed several linguistic changes. This paper focuses on the policies implemented by policymakers which can be divided into three main movements: Arabization, the preservation of French and the promotion for English. Since Tunisia gain its independence in 1956, the strong presence and implementation of French language threatened the flow of the Arabization movement. With the appearance of globalization, Policy makers tried to balance between the already existed languages with English due to its importance in today’s world. This paper argues that such policies, especially in the educational system, had a direct impact on the post-colonial identity.