Meredith Kearsley and Dr. Michael Bush, French and Italian
It has long been asserted that language is an integral and inseparable part of culture, and therefore identity. As such, language plays a powerful role in the political, educational, business, and leisure affairs of a nation. Language can aid in unification and it can also cause fragmentation. An example of a nation that faces the challenges that stem from a diverse linguistic background is the West African country of Senegal. As a nation, Senegal made the decision to declare French the official language of government, business, and education, while maintaining the six primary native languages as national languages. My research consisted of going to Senegal to conduct interviews so that I could find out on a personal level how Senegalese people feel the French language, a language chosen with the intention of facilitating order and unification, affects their country and culture on a day to day basis. Because of the very personal nature of the interviews and questions, it is necessary to realize that one individual’s response cannot be generalized to represent the whole population; however, the goal of my project is to discover, among a small number of randomly selected individuals, what similarities and differences of opinion arise.
There are a number of different ethnic groups in Senegal; however, six groups are large enough that their respective languages are recognized officially as national languages: Wolof, Peul, Serer, Diola, Mandingo, Soninke, and Malinke. None of these languages have an original alphabet, and it is only in relatively recent years that people have begun to write in the national languages using the Roman alphabet. In 1960, when Senegal gained independence from France, its colonial sovereign for more than 250 years, President Leopold Sedar Senghor and his advisors established French as the official language among the myriad of ethnic languages. Because of France’s assimilation policies concerning Senegal while the country was under colonial rule, French had been instituted as the language of government, education, and commerce.
Consequently, independent Senegal kept French as the official language. While Senegal’s separation from its colonial power was quite peaceful, particularly in comparison with other African colonies, I intended to find out whether or not French is accepted by the Senegalese people as a part of their culture, or if it is regarded as the vestiges of colonial domination. Before going to Senegal I created a list of questions to ask different categories of people. I wanted to interview students, teachers, and those who were working in the professional world. My questions focused on the perspective of each person and how the French language influenced their culture, if they liked the fact that French was the official language, if they would have rather been taught in their native language, and if they thought the national languages would ever replace French. Once in the country, I conducted a total of seven interviews. I had originally intended to interview five people from each category; however, after the first interview, it was clear that if I continued with that plan I would have more information than I could process for a project of this size. In the end I interviewed three teachers, three professionals, and one student. Using a video camera, I recorded each interview in the same manner. I asked each of the prepared questions and the interviewee was allowed to respond freely.
Among the teachers I interviewed, all three were of different ethnicities: Diola, Toucouleur, and Wolof. All three had achieved teaching degrees from universities in Senegal. Among the nonteaching professionals I interviewed, all three were also of different ethnicities: Mandingo, Toucouleur/Diola, and Wolof. Each had a different level of education. All had received some formal education; however, none had achieved a high school level diploma. The student I interviewed was from the Peul ethnic group and studying at the secondary level. I had originally hypothesized that responses would be more consistent based on ethnographic factors as well as level of education. However, among those I interviewed I found less consistency than I expected. Opinions did not appear to conform specifically to ethnicity or level of education. Also, in several instances individuals arrived at the same conclusions in response to the question posed, but for a variety of different reasons.
Despite the different reasons that supported each individual’s response, there was a general consensus that the French language is indeed necessary for the stability of the country on several planes. French is a pedagogical support since national languages are generally not written and lack the vocabulary necessary to describe the sciences and technology. French is also a means of communication as well as conciliation between ethnic groups. Many interviewees acknowledged that ethnic problems would inevitably arise if any one of the national languages was chosen as an official language to replace French. Furthermore, the French language is also a tool for communicating with and gaining knowledge about other countries. Interviewees recognized that French is Senegal’s link to the rest of the world. It is an instrument for establishing international connections and learning about the world outside of their native language groups, as well as the means by which they can welcome the international community in their own country.
On the other hand, interviewees also recognized the need to further integrate the national languages into the educational system in an effort to maintain the distinct Senegalese cultural identity, revalorize the national languages, and improve learning. Many expressed the desire to be educated or to be able to teach in their native language, or at least to incorporate the national languages into the educational curriculum. Although all agreed that French was an integral part of their lives, whether they felt French is a part of their culture or not was less certain. Some agreed readily that French is a part of their culture because of its implementation during such a long period of colonial rule. Consequently, it is today the means by which they communicate on a day to day basis, as well as the means by which they are educated about the world. Nevertheless, others disagreed immediately, stating that the French language was imposed on the Senegalese people and is distinctly apart from their ethnic, as well as Senegalese, cultures; a language learned in order to communicate just like Spanish, English or Russian. Despite these differences of opinion regarding the cultural effects of the language, all agreed that French is a unifying factor in Senegalese daily life.
In executing this project, I have already gained invaluable experience concerning the research process. I have also gained a better understanding of the cultures outside of my own, not only the differences but also the similarities. I plan to continue to study the effects of the French language on Senegalese culture on a more in-depth level and hope to conduct additional interviews in order to gain a more accurate perspective. This research serves as the beginning and foundation of my honors thesis.