Implantation et diffusion de la langue française dans le campement des Pygmées de Mayos

Abstract

Our research project, titled "Establishment and dissemination of the French language in the Pygmy settlement of Mayos", arose from the observation that French is having difficulty spreading in this community despite the numerous regulatory measures taken by the state to ensure its dissemination. This situation led us to question ourselves on the factors hindering the spread of the French language in this locality. To conduct our analyses, we formulated the general hypothesis that the spread of the French language is hindered by inadequate linguistic policies and devaluing perceptions that speakers have of the language within the Baka community of Mayos. To this end, the aim of this study is to identify the contours and means of this expansion. In other words, we want to help understand and grasp the expansion of the French language in this area. To achieve this, we have drawn on Roland Breton's theory of the external dynamics of languages, developed in his article titled "La géographie des langues" (1991). For him, the dynamics of a language can be recognised by three essential criteria: the increase in the number of speakers, its functions and its influence within a community. Two techniques were used to collect the data: semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The corpus was collected from a sample of 23 respondents. This enabled us to bring out the different point of views Mayos speakers have of the French language, torn between their desire to open up to the world and their need to preserve their identity. Their epilinguistic discourse highlighted the difficulties facing the French language in their community. Based on their data, proposals were made to infer the expansion of the language in this area.