Pourrait-on faire sans la langue et ses frontières ?

Abstract

Si l’on est d’accord avec les sociolinguistes qui affirment que la notion de langue ne peut modéliser les productions langagières des locuteurs dans leurs interactions sociales, on ne peut également pas nier le fait que les fonctions que les langues assument dans les enjeux sociaux majeurs leur offrent ces frontières contestées. En nous appuyant sur une observation de certains aspects de la réalité sociolinguistique mauricienne, nous avons voulu montrer, dans cet article, le rôle que joue la langue créole dans la (dé)/(re)structuration de la société mauricienne. Le créole qui, pendant une courte période de l’histoire (sociolinguistique) mauricienne, a été perçue comme l’outil pouvant assurer l’unité de la nation mauricienne est, aujourd’hui, revendiqué comme l’instrument qui peut donner un fondement à l’émergence du groupe ethnique créole. Seule cette analyse sociolinguistique peut expliquer à la fois la demande sociale pour une langue dont les valeurs instrumentales demeurent limitées dans une société qui connaît une forte mobilité sociale et les pressions exercées sur l’Etat mauricien pour qu’elle soit standardisée.

2. The Development of the Linguistic Repertoire of Primary School Learners within the Mauritian Multilingual Educational System

“…This study also has as ambition to add to the literature on the factors that influence the nature of the process of acquiring linguistic repertoire, within a specific multilingual backdrop which is far removed from previous research carried out (Shameem, 2002;Talebi, 2007). There has been some research (Tirvassen, 2011b) conducted in Mauritius which looks at language as being a dynamic system and acknowledges this notion; however, it should be noted that no study has been carried to explore the development of the linguistic repertoire of the learner within the multilingual educational system in Mauritius, at primary level, with KM being officially part of the school curriculum. This study, thus, has as aim to shed light on this issue and thus fill the gap present.…”

“…As Kemp (2009, p.19) clearly points out, "each language in the multilingual integrated system is a part of the complete system and not equivalent in representation or processing to the language of a monolingual speaker". This implies as a result that a multilingual speaker's language functions as a holistic and integrated system or linguistic repertoire, which is similar to a set of skills that the latter has at his/her disposal, and from which s/he draws depending on the communicative function and context (Tirvassen, 2011b). In other words, a multilingual speaker is viewed as one who has the ability to use more than two languages, either separately, or in varying degrees of language mixing.…”

“…Whilst the above studies reflect an evolution of the sociolinguistic research traditions in the Mauritian context, it can be noted that there is no classroom school-based empirical research as such which has been conducted and which has proposed an alternative theoretical framework generated from the contextual intricacies of Mauritius. Tirvassen (2011a, 2011b and Rughoonundun-Chellapermal (2007) challenge how everyday Mauritians' language practices, which are multi-dimensional and complex, are oftentimes treated by officialised policy and educational practices as discrete, monolithic and bounded within one language system. This, therefore, offers a limited perspective of the linguistic complexity of Mauritians.…”