48. Language policies in Africa: practices and issues

Language policies are interventions in language. They govern relations between languages, usually within the framework of states. An analysis of these data leads to the following conclusion. On the one hand, the construction of nation-states based on the choice of a single language for a state, globalization and industrialization, as well as new technologies and geopolitics, have altered the linguistic landscape of most countries or regions of the world. On the other hand, a distinction must always be made between the languages actually spoken in a country and their official management. Multilingualism is a feature of every country in the world. As a result, they have to adopt language policies. Language policy is a set of measures adopted by a state with regard to one or more languages spoken in the territory under its sovereignty, in order to modify their corpus or status, generally to reinforce their use, and sometimes to limit their expansion. Linguistic policy can consist of developing the corpus of a language by standardizing spelling and lexicon, or by encouraging the creation of terminology. It can also be summed up as changing the status of a language by declaring it official. Finally, language policy can recreate a language whose use has been lost. If we look at the history of language policies around the world, we can distinguish three main categories: intervention, non-intervention and assimilation. Interventionist language policies aim to accelerate or slow down the normal evolution of a language, thereby reducing, increasing or eliminating competition between languages. This type of policy is rarely based on purely linguistic motives. It is often linked to societal projects formulated with cultural, economic and political objectives in mind. Governments adopt incentive or coercive measures. They are also based on the power, attraction or prestige of languages in relation to each other. State intervention is the most common type of language policy worldwide. The constitutions of most countries include language provisions. We act on the relationships between the languages spoken in a state, changing their reciprocal status. On the other hand, the language policy of non-intervention means choosing the path of complacency, ignoring problems when they arise and letting the balance of power evolve. In practice, this planning works in favor of the dominant language. This is what Didier de Robillard calls “language policy by default”. A non-interventionist government is not a referee, and refrains from adopting constitutional or legislative provisions regarding languages. As part of its assimilationist language policy, the state uses planned means to accelerate the assimilation of minorities. For most countries, the choice of language policy remains a crucial issue. Indeed, language and power are closely linked. The hierarchical relationships established between languages in contact in a given society are generated by the distribution of power. Consequently, any change in social and political organization implies questioning the language(s) of power, and therefore changing the linguistic landscape. In this case, states resort to “language planning”. Didier de Robillard defines it as scientific activity, often integrating multi-disciplinary knowledge in view of the complexity of the realities addressed, applying itself to describing, studying and proposing solutions and concrete means of improving linguistic situations perceived as “problematic”. In other words, language planning is a political and administrative process designed to modify either the linguistic code (i.e. the corpus of language, language as a system), or the functional distribution (i.e. the social status or role of languages), or both. According to Didier de Robillard, there are two aspects to language planning: – setting objectives for the use of languages in contact on the same national territory, either by a government or an institution; – defining the measures to be taken, the work to be carried out, the expenses to be foreseen and borne in order to achieve the objectives. History, the construction of nation-states and globalization, as well as new technologies and geopolitics, have changed the (socio)linguistic landscape of African countries. Faced with the challenge of multilingualism, governments have adopted language policies. For African governments, resolving the language issue is crucial to the implementation of national and development policies. In which language(s) should education, administration or justice be provided? Which languages should be used in economic exchanges and international relations, or in the fields of science and technology? This panel aims to analyze the socio(linguistic) situations of African countries. It also examines language coexistence and usage. He also studies language practices, ideologies and linguistic representations. Contributions may examine, but are not limited to: – language policies; – language education policies; – language appropriation and didactics; – language status; – language practices; – language discourse analysis; – language representations and ideologies; – language policies and socio-economic development; – language policies and globalization; – language policies and the digital revolution; – gender and language policies; – language policies and translation; – language policies and the practice of medicine.