Compréhension des facteurs socioculturels de valorisation des langues patrimoniales, cas de l’Iton de la région du centre au Cameroun: contribution à l’anthropologie de développement

Abstract

This research, which is entitled Understanding the socio-cultural factors of valorization of heritage languages, the case of the Iton language of the central region of Cameroon: Contribution to the anthropology of development, is the fruit of numerous observations in Cameroonian society. Indeed, studies show that when people master their heritage language, this is a major asset for local development. The research problem that we elucidate is that of the non-valorization of the heritage language by all age groups of society among the Iton, especially the young populations who tend to neglect their mother tongue in favor of foreign languages in occurrence of English and French. The main question posed by this work is how can Cameroonian heritage languages be valued and serve as a driving force for local development? It is followed by a main hypothesis which shows us that the Cameroonian heritage languages can be valued and serve as a driving force for local development among the Iton populations of the central region of Cameroon. To answer this hypothesis, this work has set a main objective which is to show that heritage languages can be valued and serve as a driving force for the local development of the Iton community of the central region of Cameroon. Methodologically, this research was conducted using a qualitative approach through its various techniques such as: observation, semi-structured interviews, focused group discussions, life story. To ensure a good explanation of the results obtained, we have used the following theories: functionalism, culturalism and linguistic theory. The processing of information was done by content analysis and visual analysis. The results of this work are, among other things, the creation of literacy and literature centre, the opening of cultural centers, the introduction of the teaching of heritage languages into educational programs, the encouragement of the Iton populations of the Diaspora to return to the sources in order to acquire their cultural values. Heritage languages are confronted with realities that can either facilitate or make difficult their appropriation by speakers, especially young people, in terms of communication. For some, speaking their heritage languages arouses in them a sense of resignation.