Second Official Language Research Articles

Features of Cameroon Francophone English in the Production of Bilingual Students

This paper examines the written production of bilingual Francophone students of tertiary level in Cameroon. The influence of French and local languages is observed in the free compositions in English, the second official language (SOL) of young Francophone Cameroonians. For this study, 47 informants were randomly selected and asked to write a 200-word essay in English. Selinker’s theory of Interlanguage was used as a framework for identifying, describing, and explaining the data. The findings reveal 167 instances of Interlanguage features, out of which 62 (37.1%) were from stabilisation, 57 (34.1%) from interference, 46 (27.5%) from overuse, and 2 (1.1%) from avoidance.

Effects of Second-Official Language on Earning Premiums in Ontario, Canada: Case of Male and Female Differentials

This paper is focusing on the effects of learning French as a second language, where English serves as the mother tongue amongst both male and female Ontarians. With other factors considered, the paper responds to the question; would it be beneficial in terms of earnings for both male and female residents of Ontario to either use only English, both English and French, or only French at work? Using census data from 2016, a log-linear model was fitted to a total sample 27,362 males and 22,752 females. Generally, there is significant difference (t=30.65>1.96; p=0.000<0.05) in wages between male and female workers. Also, the study concludes that there is only a significant difference in earnings if French is used alongside English at the workplace; however, both male and females need not to learn a second-official language while residing and working within Ontario as it does not benefit them in terms of their wages.

Language Policy in Education: Second Official Language in (Technical) Education in Canada and Cameroon

It should be said from the outset that, apart from Esambe’s (1999) MA thesis, no comparative research, to the best of our knowledge, has so far been devoted to the study of language policy in education in both Canada and Cameroon. Yet, these two countries offer a fascinating basis for comparison because English and French (which were instituted at roughly the same time in these two countries) are the two official languages in each country, but the minority status is reversed. This study, which rests on the observation that students from technical training programmes generally underperform or lack interest in their second official language (SOL), aims at comparing the current policies of SOL in education in order to see how both countries’ experiences can be mutually informing. To achieve its purpose, this research focuses on the analysis of the policies of official languages (OLs) in education in both countries, specifically regarding technical training programmes. More clearly, language policy in education and SOL education policy as obtained in both countries will be comparatively examined. The comparison, it is hoped, will reveal the fundamental causes of the overall poor performance or lack of interest observed in Cameroon and Canada respectively.

Youth Language as a Transnational Phenomenon: The Case of French in Nigeria

This study sets out to enquire if the French language could be seen as a youth language in Nigeria. It adopts conventional approaches to youth language studies and carries out an empirical study on how the French language has fared amongst Nigerians since it became the country’s second official language in 1996. After an exhaustive review of related literature, the study adopts the sociological, sociolinguistic and transnational theories to explain the concept of youth language as a transnational phenomenon that has established itself in Africa through Western European influences. The study has two phases: a first phase to determine those who connect with French in Nigeria, involves a sample population of 80 persons, including 40 youth and 40 adults of both sexes and different nationalities from four of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones (North Central, South East, South West, South South); and a second phase to determine the nature of French language speech patterns by the youth. This involves only the 40 youth. Using the quantitative and qualitative methods, this study makes a careful analysis of the questionnaire administered to the sample population. The findings reveal that most adults of 36 years and above in Nigeria show little or no interest in the French language, while most young people of between 12 and 35 years of age in Nigeria are so deeply attached to the French language that they have now adapted its use to suit their purpose as a distinctive communication code peculiar to them. Keywords : Adult, French, In-group, Transnationalism, Youth, Youth language.