ARCHIVES
VOL. 3, ISSUE 2 (2021)
Is Cameroon’s official bilingual policy a make or mar
Authors
Charles Esambe Alobwede
Abstract
From the time of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, languages as well as people have learnt to co-exist. It is obvious that when languages co-exist, there is the inevitable tendency of linguistic influence. This is because a language can either be a uniting factor or a factor of division within a given community, especially in a multicultural and multi-linguistic one where such a situation has led to socio-political and economic tension. Thus, leaders of such communities have a duty to plan and implement a language policy that will meet the needs of all members of the community in order to enhance its corporateness. The present article will focus on some of the major reasons that pushed the government of Cameroon to embark on an official bilingual policy, and then evaluate the linguistic situation. The article will equally look at the consequences, especially on a socio-political standpoint and what has today been termed “the Anglophone crisis” in Cameroon. Data for the present article is collected from literature on the state of official bilingualism in Cameroon, newspaper articles on the prevailing situation in the country and interviews with actors.
Download
Pages:18-27
How to cite this article:
Charles Esambe Alobwede "Is Cameroon’s official bilingual policy a make or mar ". International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Vol 3, Issue 2, 2021, Pages 18-27
Download Author Certificate
Please enter the email address corresponding to this article submission to download your certificate.