It is a truism that colonialism had a terrible impact on African indigenous languages. In Cameroon, where more than 250 of languages are spoken, the situation is more complex, as the country was shared between French and British colonial powers. The system of governing implemented during the colonial era was different from one region to the other: whereas the British opted for an “Indirect rule” under which indigenous people were encouraged to govern themselves, while following to the letter the instructions given by British authorities, the French system was stricter, promoting assimilation. Under such conditions, personal as well as collective attachment to indigenous languages was significantly diminished especially in the Francophone part of the country. After independence was proclaimed in 1960, the two Cameroons reunified in 1961, having English and French as their official languages. However, even more than half a century later, the colonial wraith remains. Two surveys were carried out (2019 and 2020) among both young Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians, on language use and language attitude. They reveal a clear dichotomy that reflects the colonial pattern. As a matter of fact, the surveys show a much greater attachment to indigenous languages among the Anglophones, which is evident in the vigorous upholding of indigenous languages in the family circle, whereas they are alarmingly giving way to the French language in Francophone homes. The results of the […]
رامت هذه الدراسة، بناء على تجربة مجالس الشباب بالمغرب، تتبع تلكم العلاقة التي تربط بين فئة الشباب من جهة والسياسات العمومية من جهة أخرى. ولا شك أن طبيعة هذا البحث قد طرحت ثلة من الأسئلة التي تستدعي استقراء يمَّكن من الإجابة عنها، وهي من قبيل: ما أبرز التحولات الطارئة على فئة الشباب نتيجة انخراطهم في مجالس الشباب؟ وكيف لتلك الفئة أن تؤثر في السياسات العمومية المحلية؟إن الفرضية التي تنطلق منها الدراسة، بناء على تجربة مجلس الشباب لمدينة ورززات، مفادها أن الشباب الذين يعارضون استراتيجية سياسة عمومية محلية ينتهي بهم الأمر بقبول هذه الاستراتيجية بعد إدماجهم في تدبير هذه الأخيرة.ومن أجل تبيان ذلك، أجريت مجموعة من المقابلات النصف موجهة، ما بين شهري ماي/أيار 2017 وماي/أيار 2019، بحيث عقد لقاء مع ممثلي التنسيقية الوطنية لمجالس الشباب بالمغرب، فضلا عن ممثلي مجلس الشباب بمدينة ورززات، بالإضافة إلى مستشارين جماعيين بنفس […]
The Konikovo Gospel (KG), The Kulakia Gospel (KuG) and The Boboščica Gospel (BG) are among the first known translations of the New Testament in Macedonian vernacular dating from the 19th century. They are all written in Greek alphabet. In this article we present the most specific examples demonstrating a stylization tendency towards a wider dialectal base and/or towards a more elevated style. The most important conclusion is that of all the analysed gospels the most stylized text is the oldest among them, the KG (1852), especially its second hand. The stylization steps are less common for the KuG (1860) and even less for the BG (1880). It is possible to say that the texts analyzed in this paper, together with the other translations of the New Testament in Macedonian vernacular from the 18th and the 19th centuries, open, more or less, a clear path towards the formation of one Biblical language, leading to the translations of the Bible in contemporary Macedonian standard language in 1976, 2003 and 2007.
