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French Language Monolingualism in the Bicultural-Bilingual Cameroon in the Era of the Predominance of English as a Global Lingua Franca

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Title: French Language Monolingualism in the Bicultural-Bilingual Cameroon in the Era of the Predominance of English as a Global Lingua Franca
Language: English
Authors: Simon Njumbwa
Source: Education and Society. 2025 43(1):35-60.
Availability: James Nicholas Publishers. PO Box 5179, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Australia. Tel: +61-39-696-5545; Fax: +61-39-699-2040; e-mail: custservice@jnponline.com; Web site: https://www.jamesnicholaspublishers.com.au/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Bilingualism, Official Languages, Language Usage, English, French, Language Dominance, Language Role, Colonialism, Public Policy, African Culture, World History, Modern History
Geographic Terms: Cameroon
DOI: 10.7459/es/430104
ISSN: 0726-2655
2201-0610
Abstract: October 1, 2023 marked the sixty second anniversary of the independence and reunification of British Southern Cameroons and the French "La Republique du Cameroun," culminating in the creation of the new federated state of Cameroon, a bilingual nation with English and French equally recognized constitutionally as its official languages. While the Cameroon government has since reunification relentlessly promoted bilingualism as vital to the consolidation of national unity and socio-cultural integration, cultural and linguistic barriers still exist. There is clear disparity between the rhetoric and practice of bilingualism owing to the dominance of French. The willful use of the French language in the country's English-speaking regions by French-speaking administrators and civil servants militates against the effective implementation and practice of bilingualism in the country despite the diminishing influence of French and the hegemony of English around the globe. This article contends that the continued dominance of French to the detriment of the English language presents a flawed image of Cameroon as a bilingual nation. Moreover, the relegation of English to a subordinate position by the francophone-dominated regime is a strategic "faux pas" that puts young Cameroon graduates at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly hyper-competitive global knowledge and digital economy where it is the predominant lingua franca.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1497319
Database: ERIC
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  Data: James Nicholas Publishers. PO Box 5179, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Australia. Tel: +61-39-696-5545; Fax: +61-39-699-2040; e-mail: custservice@jnponline.com; Web site: https://www.jamesnicholaspublishers.com.au/
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  Data: October 1, 2023 marked the sixty second anniversary of the independence and reunification of British Southern Cameroons and the French "La Republique du Cameroun," culminating in the creation of the new federated state of Cameroon, a bilingual nation with English and French equally recognized constitutionally as its official languages. While the Cameroon government has since reunification relentlessly promoted bilingualism as vital to the consolidation of national unity and socio-cultural integration, cultural and linguistic barriers still exist. There is clear disparity between the rhetoric and practice of bilingualism owing to the dominance of French. The willful use of the French language in the country's English-speaking regions by French-speaking administrators and civil servants militates against the effective implementation and practice of bilingualism in the country despite the diminishing influence of French and the hegemony of English around the globe. This article contends that the continued dominance of French to the detriment of the English language presents a flawed image of Cameroon as a bilingual nation. Moreover, the relegation of English to a subordinate position by the francophone-dominated regime is a strategic "faux pas" that puts young Cameroon graduates at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly hyper-competitive global knowledge and digital economy where it is the predominant lingua franca.
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        PageCount: 26
        StartPage: 35
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bilingualism
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      – SubjectFull: Official Languages
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      – SubjectFull: Language Usage
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      – SubjectFull: English
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      – SubjectFull: French
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      – SubjectFull: Language Dominance
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      – SubjectFull: Language Role
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      – SubjectFull: Public Policy
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      – SubjectFull: African Culture
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      – SubjectFull: World History
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      – SubjectFull: Modern History
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      – SubjectFull: Cameroon
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      – TitleFull: French Language Monolingualism in the Bicultural-Bilingual Cameroon in the Era of the Predominance of English as a Global Lingua Franca
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