Asymmetrical Power Relations within Local, Regional and International Languages in Rwanda: In whose Favour and at what Expense?
Abstract
This paper argues that the new role and status currently ascribed to English in Rwanda is tending towards creating ' asymmetrical power relations ' between English, on the one hand, and other languages used in the country on the other. The study identifies the latter to include Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili and French. In short, the implementation of a policy of promoting English as one of Rwanda ' s official languages and language of instruction may end up being successful though at a regrettable cost, in the future. Accordingly, the promotion of English will lead to three major problems. The first one is to relegate the use of other languages to a position of inferiority and ' endangerment ' . The second imminent problem is that of excluding local and regional
languages (Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili) from the epicenter of Rwanda ' s national development. The third problem could be a conflicting situation between various language speaking communities, leading to unnecessary polarizations and tension among different language-speaking communities. The paper develops the problems of language conflicts between major and minor languages borrowing some examples from the US, Canada, Belgium, the European Union and South Africa. It analyses language planning mechanisms and suggests a way forward for Rwanda. It is inspired by Patten ' s (2002) three-stage model of ' language recognition ' by states characterized by ' official multilingualism ' , ' language rationalisation ' and ' language maintenance ' . The model analyses the challenges of giving public recognition to a particular language or set of languages.
Key words: multilingualism, bilingualism, mother-tongue instruction, language policy and planning, language functions, language education
References
Calvet, L-J. (1987). La guerre des Langues et les Politiques Linguistiques. Paris: Payot.
Dworkin, R. (1977). Liberalism. In S. Hampshire (ed.). Public and
Private Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press:113-143.
Dworkin, R. (1981). What is Equality? Part II: Equality of Resources.
Philosophy and Public Affairs, 10: 283 €“345.
Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The Sage Handbook of
Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications Limited.
Kasozi, A. B. K. (2000). Policy Statements and the Failure to Develop
a National Language in Uganda: A Historical Survey. In K. Parry (ed.). Language and Literacy in Uganda: Towards a Sustainable Reading Culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers: 23 €“29.
Kateregga, A. (2013). Résoudre le Problème de Plurilinguisme en Ouganda : Une Politique de Planification Linguistique mal Partie. In J. C. Nkejabahizi & J-P. Mortelette (eds.). Synergies Afrique des Grands Lacs : Langues et Littératures dans la Région des Grands Lacs. 11-20. Sylvains les Moulins: Gerflint: 11 €“20.
Keshubi, H. (2000). The Teaching of Local Languages in Primary
Teachers Colleges in Uganda. In K. Parry (ed.). Language and Literacy in Uganda: Towards a Sustainable Reading Culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers: 46 €“50.
Laponce, J. (1984). Langue et Territoire. Québec: Presse
Universitaires de Laval.
Laitin, D. (1998). Identity in Formation: The Russian-Speaking
Populations in the Near-abroad. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Nsibambi, A. (2000). Language and Literacy in Uganda: A View from
the Ministry of Education and Sports. In K. Parry (ed.). Language and Literacy in Uganda: Towards a Sustainable Reading Culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers: 2 €“5.
Nsibambi, R. (2000). A Language Policy for National Integration. In
K. Parry (ed.). Language and Literacy in Uganda: Towards a Sustainable Reading Culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers: 16 €“22.
Ouane, A. & Glanz, C. (2010). Why and how Africa should Invest in
African Languages and Multilingual Education. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.
Parry, K. (2000). Literacy Policy and Literacy Practice. In K. Parry
(ed.). Language and Literacy in Uganda: Towards a Sustainable Reading Culture. Kampala: Fountain Publishers: 59 €“65.
Parkam, A. (1995). De-Hegemonizing Language Standards: Learning
from Post/colonial Englishes about ' English. ' New York: St Martin ' s Press.
Patten, A. (2002). Political Theory and Language Policy [Online] Available: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2886/38872c9871a62e80c298005e0cb149306415.pdf
Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wardhaugh, R. (1998). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics.Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Webb, V. N. (2002a). Language Policy in Post-apartheid South Africa. In J. W. Tollefson & A. B. M. Tsui (eds.). Medium of Instruction Policies: Which Agenda? Whose Agenda. Lawrence: Erlbaum Associates.
Webb, V. N. (2002b). Language in South Africa: The Role of Language in Transformation, Reconstruction and Development. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Webb, V. N. (2002d). English as a Second Language in South Africa ' s
Tertiary Institutions:A Case Study at the University of Pretoria.orld Englishes, 21(1): 49 €“61.
Weisntein, B. (1980). Language Learning in Francophone Africa.
Language Problems and Language Planning, 4(1): 55 €“57.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright © by Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, University of Dar es Salaam
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for short extracts in fair dealing, for research or private study, critical scholarly review or discourse with an acknowledgement.
