Abstract
This article sets out to study the evolution of the French language in Cameroon from the period of colonisation to the present. The article focuses in particular on the use of the language during the colonial period and its imposition on Cameroonians through the French policy of assimilation. Contrary to the British policy of indirect rule, France considered its colonies as oversea territories (la France outre-mer) whichss had to speak and write the French language in a manner as prescribed by the Académie Française. Our investigation looks at the evolution of the language after independence and the different varieties that developed from mainstream French: these include Cameroon popular French (CPF) or the social variety, and a hybrid variety (camfranglais) used mostly by the younger generation of Cameroonians. We aim at evaluating the influence of the latter variety, in order to analyse the radical transformation process that the French language is experiencing in French Africa in general and in Cameroon in particular. The article aims at validating our hypothesis that the French language as used in Cameroon is a repossession of a very complex language.
Highlights
INTRODUCTION“Ma Patrie, c’est la langue que j’écris” (Antoine Rivarol : 1784, qtd. in Le français hors de France)
This article sets out to study the evolution of the French language in Cameroon from the period of colonisation to the present
Boutin (2002: 108) reports the frustration of what a teacher calls, ‘le manque de liberté dans l’espace francophone’. The latter states, “il faut accepter que la langue se tropicalise [...], la langue est un être vivant”. This tropicalisation of the French language has created a contrast between ‘le français camerounais’ and what can be considered as purely academic French, as this other teacher interviewed by Boutin (2002) writes, “Il y a un français [....] qui n’est peut-être pas encore entériné par les normes académiques et universitaires mais qui permet aux gens de communiquer, et c’est ça le plus important”
Summary
“Ma Patrie, c’est la langue que j’écris” (Antoine Rivarol : 1784, qtd. in Le français hors de France). “Ma Patrie, c’est la langue que j’écris” My homeland is the language I write. The use of a language in every sociolinguistic environment is peculiar to every country. Cameroon is situated in the CEMAC1 zone in Central Africa and partly in West Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra in Nigeria. The country is sometimes referred to as “Africa in miniature” because it exhibits all the major climates and vegetation of the African
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
