Language and Ethnolinguistic Identity: The Bilingualism Question

Lamy, Paul

doi:10.1515/ijsl.1979.20.23

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Its use as primary medium has been enhanced by being the main language in the daily lives of many Tanzanians, particularly in urban areas and among the younger generation (Kiango 2006). Hence, the speakers of the 150 ethnic languages of Tanzania are progressively shifting to Kiswahili, not only linguistically, but also in their identity features, like cultural values, ethnonyms and ethnic allegiance, following the Language-Culture-Autonymic-Ethnonymic identity pattern proposed by Lamy (1979) and Pool (1979).…”

Section: Language Identity and Cultural Values In The Kiswahili Greementioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Lamy (1979) and Pool (1979), community identity is progressively lost in favour of the more dominant and prestigious language in a situation of marked bilingualism (Batibo 1992(Batibo , 2005. The speakers of the minority language will extend the use of the dominant language, as a primary language, by expanding not only the domains of use but also the frequency of use in both oral and written modes (Batibo 2009;Mesthrie 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prevalence of cultural diversity in a multilingual situation: the case of age and gender dimensions in the Shisukuma and Kiswahili greeting rituals

Batibo

2015

Journal of Multicultural Discourses

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The prevalence of cultural diversity in a situation of multilingualism is common in Africa, where each language is tied up with distinct cultural values and world view. Hence, the semantic and cultural dimensions of one language do not always correspond with another. Such a situation has caused cultural conflict when, in a marked bilingual situation, one language group undertakes to use its cultural norms in speaking another language. This problem has become common in situations where speakers of minority languages use major languages as lingua franca in various forms of discourse, including phatic expressions, like calling attention, greeting, bidding farewell or establishing contacts. This paper examines the conflict situation which has emerged when the speakers of Shisukuma, a Bantu language spoken in north-western part of Tanzania, transfer their linguistic and cultural norms into Kiswahili, a dominant lingua franca in eastern and central Africa. The paper investigates the way the two languages consider age and gender in their greeting rituals. The main argument in this paper is that Shisukuma speakers have maintained their cognitive-lexical and cultural dimensions when speaking Kiswahili, as a primary language. This cultural resistance follows Lamy and Pool's contention that cultural shift is slower than linguistic change.

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Section: Language Identity and Cultural Values In The Kiswahili Greementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of cultural diversity in a multilingual situation: the case of age and gender dimensions in the Shisukuma and Kiswahili greeting rituals

Batibo

2015

Journal of Multicultural Discourses

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“…According to Lamy (1979) and Pool (1979), it is possible to identify four phases of identity loss in a language contact situation, where the speakers of language A are in the process of dominating language B. In this case B, as a group, will gradually adopt the identity features of A group.…”

Section: Journal Of Multicultural Discourses 97mentioning

confidence: 99%

The inter-cultural dimension in the use of languages of wider communication by minority language speakers

Batibo

2009

Journal of Multicultural Discourses

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To cite this article: Herman M. Batibo (2009) The inter-cultural dimension in the use of languages of wider communication by minority language speakers, Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 4:2, 89-102,The linguistic situation in most African countries has been described as trifocal as it often involves three linguistic levels, namely an ex-colonial language, a major indigenous language and a certain number of minority languages. Each of these languages is a custodian of long established societal norms, social practices and cultural expressions. However, the growing tendency of the expanded use of the major languages, as languages of wider communication, has given rise to the development of marked bilingualism among the minority language speakers with the progressive use of the major languages as primary languages. This article explores the conflicts in cultural norms and values that have been brought about by the use of one code in a cultural and social context of the other and the effects of this development on the cultural future of the minority language speakers or their mastery of the cultural norms of the major languages. One of the main arguments is that the erosion of cultural values in minority languages in favour of those of the major languages is one of the major indicators of the process of language shift. Case studies are used from situations in eastern and southern Africa, namely Tanzania and Botswana.

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“…Lamy, 1979). While it is possible to assume that there would be a relationship between bilingualism and ethnolinguistic identity, scholars of different theoretical orientations do not seem to agree on the issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism and Ethnic Identity in a Nupe-Yoruba Border Town in Nigeria

Oyetade¹

1996

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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Empirical studies of bilingualism in the advanced countries have been carried out to shed light on issues of both theoretical and pragmatic importance. Such issues include bilingualism and ethnic identity, educational and socio-psychological problems faced by linguistic minorities in linguistically heterogeneous countries, etc. In a multilingual country like Nigeria where there is a crosscurrent of contacts between different types of languages, giving rise to individual and community bilingualism, works of this nature are very crucial for language policies and implementation. In this paper, I deal with one of the many questions that scholars have attempted to answer, namely, does bilingualism in itself have an impact upon ethnic identity and ethnic attitudes? With data from the Saare/Tsaragi composite community, I try to show the sense in which bilingualism may not necessarily neutralise ethnic loyalty. One is led to conclude that it is the socio-cultural, economic, political and demographic context of a place -and not bilingualism per se -that is largely responsible for the behaviour patterns exhibited by bilinguals.

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Language and Ethnolinguistic Identity: The Bilingualism Question

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

The prevalence of cultural diversity in a multilingual situation: the case of age and gender dimensions in the Shisukuma and Kiswahili greeting rituals

The prevalence of cultural diversity in a multilingual situation: the case of age and gender dimensions in the Shisukuma and Kiswahili greeting rituals

The inter-cultural dimension in the use of languages of wider communication by minority language speakers

Bilingualism and Ethnic Identity in a Nupe-Yoruba Border Town in Nigeria

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