Abstract

The french language, an obstacle to development in french-speaking sub-saharan africa?

How do the many people who do not master the official language in French-speaking (sub-Saharan) Africa express their daily needs and access important information ? How can the living conditions of these people be improved if their languages are marginalized?
Our contribution is based on an analysis of the status of the different languages in Francophone African plurilingualism and suggests ways of achieving an equitable plurilingualism that responds to the need for development. Our article also draws up an uncompromising inventory of a paradoxical situation: the vast majority of African languages are not, and are still very far from becoming, school languages. We highlight the main causes.
The promotion of African languages requires resources. But it also requires ambition Therefore our paper aims to:

• highlight the linguistic dimension of development
• comment, by example, on some situations of communicative dependence
• analyse and propose ways and means of remediation
• consider the perspectives opened up, for languages, for speakers and for learners, by this linguistic and cultural approach to development.

Per citare questo articolo:

Jean-Philippe ZOUOGBO, « La langue française, un obstacle au développement des pays d’afrique subsaharienne francophone », Repères DoRiF,  n. 21 – Langues, linguistique et développement en milieu francophone. Des terrains africains, DoRiF Università, Roma, settembre 2020, https://www.dorif.it/reperes/jean-philippe-zouogbo-la-langue-francaise-un-obstacle-au-developpement-des-pays-dafrique-subsaharienne-francophone/

ISSN 2281-3020

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