The Africanization of French, or French as an African language

Abstract

I will use linguistic, historical, geographical and anthropological arguments to show that French cannot be considered an African language. On the other hand, French is unquestionably a major language of Africa today, thanks to its geopolitical influence as the official language of a large number of states and as a second language for many Africans. French has taken on such beautiful colors on the black continent that it sometimes gives rise to dreams of aFrench-speaking " Latin Africa " on the model of Spanish-, Portuguese- and even French-speaking Latin America. I will show that geo-historical and socio-political circumstances have changed to such an extent that, today, the dream is far from reality.

Keywords : French, Africanization, African language, language of Africa

Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha

Professor emeritus of linguistics at Bordeaux Montaigne University (France). Member of the Académie Africaine des Langues (ACALAN-Union Africaine, Bamako) and the Société des Africanistes (SDA, Paris).
He has taught at the following universities as full, associate or visiting professor : université Lovanium de Kinshasa, université nationale du Zaïre à Lubumbashi, université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris  3, université Paris 10 -  Nanterre, Université Laval (Québec, Canada), université de Moncton (New - Brunswick, Canada), université de Tétouan (Maroc), université de Kara (Togo), université Omar Bongo Libreville (Gabon), université de Bergen (Norway).
He has published extensively in linguistics and sociolinguistics (over 300 titles). He directed the " Observer et découvrir la langue française "collectionpublished by Fernand Nathan (Paris). He currently directs the " Langues " and " Bouquets de sagesse " collectionspublished by Présence africaine (Paris) .

Some of his books

• Mon premier trilingue français-anglais-lingala (coll.), Paris, Auzou, 2020.
• Mon premier trilingue français-anglais-kituba (coll.) Paris, Auzou, 2020.
• La dance des pions. Compréhension et construction de figures (with Isabelle Gonzalez), Bordeaux, CIT'INSPIR, 2019.
• Dictionnaire français - lingala - sango, Bagó lifalansé - lingála -  sángó, Bakarî farânzi - lingäla -  sängö, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha, Paris, OIF, 2013.
• Le français et les langues partenaires. Convivialité et compétitivité, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha, Pessac, PUB, 2013.
• L'environnement francophone en milieu plurilingue, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha, Pessac, PUB, 2012 ; Imprimés anonymes en langues africaines : 1830-1960, Paris, BNF, 2011.
• Le sentiment de la langue : évasion, exotisme et engagement, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha (with Tunda Kitenge-Ngoy), Pessac, PUB, 2011.
• Imaginaire linguistique dans les discours littéraires, politiques et médiatiques en Afrique, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha, Pessac, PUB, 2010.
• Linguistics and poetics. L'énonciation littéraire francophone, edited by Musanji Ngalasso-Mwatha, Pessac, PUB, 2008.