Aménagement de l’acquisition: du trilinguisme fonctionnel à la pédagogie convergente

Social bilingualism, unlike official bilingualism, is very common. In most countries, the official language/s and tens or hundreds of other languages coexist; many such unofficial languages facing extinction. What is noticeable is that when language planning does not follow the ecological approach, i.e., when it emphasizes the strengthening of a particular language rather than the “structured diversity” of all the languages that make up a particular linguistic ecosystem, that can negatively impact the survival of minority languages. This study, which was carried out from the perspective of ecolinguistics, was aimed at promoting linguistic diversity through the protection of minority languages. It was essentially based on acquisition planning. The protection referred to here could be ensured, among other means, through the progressive acquisition of three or more languages in the education system. In Cameroon, a French – English bilingual country, the minority official language and many local languages are taught in school with varying degrees of success. It was interesting to critically look at some teaching approaches of those languages with the objective of showing how it could be possible, for those whose first language is neither French nor English, to better learn French and/or English, through convergent pedagogy, an educative approach based on the development of bilingualism or multilingualism.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v2i2.202

« ÇA N’A RIEN A VOIR NI AVEC MA VIE NI AVEC MON AVENIR, DONC POURQUOI CONTINUER ? » : EXPLORER LES RAISONS AUTO-DECLAREES DU PEU D’ENGOUEMENT DES ELEVES A SUIVRE LE FLS DANS LES ECOLES SECONDAIRES A LETHBRIDGE EN ALBERTA

En Alberta, les inscriptions aux cours de français langue seconde (FLS) dans les écoles secondaires révèlent qu’il y a peu d’intérêt parmi les élèves à apprendre le français. Bien qu’une frange importante des élèves du secondaire ait déjà rencontré la langue française à l’école primaire, la majorité ne poursuit pas l’apprentissage du FLS. À travers un questionnaire anonyme adressé aux élèves de 11e année d’une école secondaire à Lethbridge, cette étude examine les différentes raisons qui justifieraient ce faible intérêt. Peu d’élèves ont démontré une motivation intégrative et/ou instrumentale. Les données suggèrent aussi l’importance des rencontres culturelles avec la francophonie. En outre, il est possible que le FLS, tel qu’il est pratiqué, contienne en lui-même un défaut qui expliquerait, ne serait-ce qu’en partie, ce faible engouement. En tenant compte de tout cela, nous discutons dans cet article des approches possibles visant à encourager plus d’élèves à suivre les cours de FLS

Perceptions of, and attitudes towards, English teaching and learning in Cameroon’s technical education

This study examined the current practices, difficulties and impacts of English as second official language (ESOL) teaching and learning in secondary schools in Cameroon. It investigated the perceptions and attitudes of students, teachers and parents towards the teaching and learning of ESOL, including prevailing teaching and learning practices. This study stemmed from the observation that the exit profile of most students in technical secondary schools does not correspond to the official exit profile set out by the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC). It was therefore necessary to survey students, parents, and teachers with the goal of identifying areas of concern and proposing remedial solutions. Responses of these key stakeholders selected in four education institutions (including two technical high schools and two general high schools) to questionnaires have provided data for the study. Such responses offered insights into the current situation in Cameroon’s ESOL, as well as into the possible utility of, and desire for, the development of ESOL courses aimed at students learning in technical schools. The inclusion and development of English for specific purposes (ESP) in Cameroon’s ESOL teaching and learning could help bring education stakeholders and policymakers closer to what they want to see from the country’s ESOL program

Aménagement de l'acquisition: du trilingiusme fontionnel a la pédagogie convergente

Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) appliesSocial bilingualism, unlike official bilingualism, is very common. In most countries, the official language/s and tens or hundreds of other languages coexist; many such unofficial languages facing extinction. What is noticeable is that when language planning does not follow the ecological approach, i.e., when it emphasizes the strengthening of a particular language rather than the “structured diversity” of all the languages that make up a particular linguistic ecosystem, that can negatively impact the survival of minority languages. This study, which was carried out from the perspective of ecolinguistics, was aimed at promoting linguistic diversity through the protection of minority languages. It was essentially based on acquisition planning. The protection referred to here could be ensured, among other means, through the progressive acquisition of three or more languages in the education system. In Cameroon, a French – English bilingual country, the minority official language and many local languages are taught in school with varying degrees of success. It was interesting to critically look at some teaching approaches of those languages with the objective of showing how it could be possible, for those whose first language is neither French nor English, to better learn French and/or English, through convergent pedagogy, an educative approach based on the development of bilingualism or multilingualism.Ye

Revitalisation des Langues Minoritaires par les Médias: Étude de Quelques Stratégies de Promotion des Langues Autochtones au Canada*

Les médias contribuent de façon décisive à la revitalisation des langues dans le monde. La radio et la télévision promeuvent la langue parlée, les journaux la langue écrite et l’internet les deux. Ces médias peuvent en effet aider à la standardisation des langues minoritaires ainsi qu’au changement de la perception et des attitudes linguistiques et culturelles par rapport à ces langues. À ce propos, Albó a pu écrire: « Present in the landscape and in the intimacy of every home, [the media] shape values, attitudes and even identities, like a fine rain that eventually penetrates the being’s every pore » (cité par Martí et al. 2005 : 181). Au Canada plus particulièrement, les médias autochtones, surtout la presse écrite, existent depuis la fin du 19e siècle. À la fin des années 1980, le pays compte déjà « 17 entreprises autochtones de communications engagées dans la radio, la télévision et la presse écrite et visant à offrir aux autochtones le reflet de leurs expériences de vie, domaine négligé par les grands médias » (Raudsepp, 2014). Ces entreprises contribuent, tant bien que mal, à la visibilité des langues autochtones et des cultures dont elles sont les supports, accroissant ainsi leur vitalité. L’objectif de cet article, qui s’inscrit dans le cadre théorique de l’aménagement linguistique, notamment l’aménagement de l’acquisition et du statut tel que le comprennent Cooper (1989) et Tollefson (1991), est donc d’examiner succinctement et de façon critique la revitalisation des langues minoritaires par la radio, la télévision, la presse écrite et le multimédia

Language policy in education: second official language in (technical) education in Canada and Cameroon

Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) appliesIt should be said from the outset that, apart from Esambe’s (1999) MA thesis, no comparative research, to the best of our knowledge, has so far been devoted to the study of language policy in education in both Canada and Cameroon. Yet, these two countries offer a fascinating basis for comparison because English and French (which were instituted at roughly the same time in these two countries) are the two official languages in each country, but the minority status is reversed. This study, which rests on the observation that students from technical training programmes generally underperform or lack interest in their second official language (SOL), aims at comparing the current policies of SOL in education in order to see how both countries’ experiences can be mutually informing. To achieve its purpose, this research focuses on the analysis of the policies of official languages (OLs) in education in both countries, specifically regarding technical training programmes. More clearly, language policy in education and SOL education policy as obtained in both countries will be comparatively examined. The comparison, it is hoped, will reveal the fundamental causes of the overall poor performance or lack of interest observed in Cameroon and Canada respectively.Ye