Représentations linguistiques du français dans le département de la Menoua : le cas des étudiants du premier cycle de l’université de Dschang

Abstract

Sociolinguistics has continued to be interested in linguistic representations by placing them at the centre of its research. The place and status attributed to this notion differ from one researcher to the other depending on their theoretical and methodological orientations. The study of the concept of linguistic representation today constitutes an essential look at the dynamics of languages. This is due to the fact that they relate to the language of the community to which they belong and also to those of groups outside this community. This study deals with the representations that undergraduate students of the University of Dschang have of French. Its aim is to verify the influence that these representations can have on the practices and uses of this language. To do this, 131 students participated in this study through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. These data were subsequently analysed to highlight that the representations play a role in the practices and uses of French of these students. Concerning survey methodology, our survey population was constructed from different variables. The questionnaire technique (open questions and closed questions) invited students to share their linguistic practices and representations. Semi-structured interviews also provided access to their linguistic representations. The questions concern both the practice of languages, the self-assessment of these practices and the value judgements on the users of these languages. Through this study, it emerges that these students have a linguistic and spatial awareness of the French language. They know that French is subject to variation and among them, some stigmatise their uses and suggest a feeling of linguistic insecurity.