Multilingual African markets

The town as a language planner

Authors

  • Louis-Jean Calvet Université de Provence Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v2i2.57

Keywords:

sociolinguistics, urbanization, creolistics, languages and markets, chaos theory

Abstract

This paper explores how linguistic surveys in multilingual markets can help language planning and language policy. By studying the multilingual cities from a sociolinguistic point of view we can observe how rapid urbanization shapes the linguistic situation of a country and at the same time shapes the languages themselves. This allow us to obtain an idea of the future of the current situations and foresee the direction of changes. Some similarities between development of vehicular languages in multilingual cities and processes of creolization in islands (as it is the case of Chabacano of Zamboanga) are pointed out, and some ways of strengthening endangered languages are suggested.

References

Calvet, L.-J. (éd.) (1992). Les langues des marchés en Afrique. Paris: Didier Érudition.

Camins, B. (1999). Chabacano de Zamboanga Handbook and Chabacano - English - Spanish Dictionary. Zamboanga: Office of the Mayor (2è édition).

Chaudenson, R. (1995). Les créoles. Paris: PUF.

Robillard, D. de (2000). “Villes, îles, (socio)linguistique: des fenêtres sur une linguistique chaotique?”. In L.-J. Calvet & A. Moussirou-Mouyama (éds.), Les villes plurilingues. Paris: Didier Érudition.

Yamamoto, M. (2000). Les mécanismes d'expansion linguistique: étude sociolinguistique sur le cas du japonais commun à Shizuoka. Thèse de doctorat, Université René Descartes, Paris.

Published

2001-08-01

How to Cite

Calvet, L.-J. (2001). Multilingual African markets: The town as a language planner. Sociolinguistic Studies, 2(2), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v2i2.57