Usages du français et attitudes linguistiques chez un groupe d’étudiant·es béninois·es — Une étude sociolinguistique exploratoire
(2025) FRAK11 20251French Studies
- Abstract (French)
- Dans un pays où plus d’une cinquantaine de langues sont parlées au sein d’une société véritablement multilingue, il semble naturel d’avoir une langue officielle afin d’unir le peuple. Néanmoins, lorsque cette langue est héritée des anciens colonisateurs et maîtrisée par moins de 40 % de la population, son statut pourrait être remis en question.
Cette étude aborde l’usage du français et les attitudes linguistiques chez un petit groupe d’étudiant·es à l’Université de Parakou au Bénin. L’objectif est d’explorer leurs avis sur le français comme seule langue officielle, ainsi que l’étendue de sa présence dans leur vie quotidienne. À partir d’un questionnaire diffusé en ligne, les étudiant·es ont été interrogé·es sur leur usage linguistique... (More) - Dans un pays où plus d’une cinquantaine de langues sont parlées au sein d’une société véritablement multilingue, il semble naturel d’avoir une langue officielle afin d’unir le peuple. Néanmoins, lorsque cette langue est héritée des anciens colonisateurs et maîtrisée par moins de 40 % de la population, son statut pourrait être remis en question.
Cette étude aborde l’usage du français et les attitudes linguistiques chez un petit groupe d’étudiant·es à l’Université de Parakou au Bénin. L’objectif est d’explorer leurs avis sur le français comme seule langue officielle, ainsi que l’étendue de sa présence dans leur vie quotidienne. À partir d’un questionnaire diffusé en ligne, les étudiant·es ont été interrogé·es sur leur usage linguistique quotidien, les langues qu’ils/elles considèrent les plus importantes à transmettre, leurs opinions sur le français au Bénin, ainsi que leurs estimations de l’avenir des langues au Bénin.
Les résultats montrent que les langues autochtones occupent une place importante chez les étudiant·es, tandis que le français est reconnu pour son rôle de langue d’intercommunication, d’éducation et d’atout international. Un des constats de cette étude est que plusieurs étudiant·es souhaitent voir un bilinguisme officiel entre le français et une langue autochtone, ce qui rejoint les résultats d’études similaires menées dans d’autres pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest. (Less) - Abstract
- In a country with over fifty spoken languages and a truly multilingual society, the existence of a single official language to unify the people may appear natural. However, when that language is inherited from former colonisers and is spoken fluently by less than 40% of the population, its status becomes questionable.
This study investigates the use of French and language attitudes among a small group of students at the University of Parakou in Benin. The aim is to explore their views on French being the country’s only official language, and the extent to which it is present in their daily lives. Through an online questionnaire, students were asked about their everyday language practices, which languages they consider important to pass... (More) - In a country with over fifty spoken languages and a truly multilingual society, the existence of a single official language to unify the people may appear natural. However, when that language is inherited from former colonisers and is spoken fluently by less than 40% of the population, its status becomes questionable.
This study investigates the use of French and language attitudes among a small group of students at the University of Parakou in Benin. The aim is to explore their views on French being the country’s only official language, and the extent to which it is present in their daily lives. Through an online questionnaire, students were asked about their everyday language practices, which languages they consider important to pass on to future generations, their opinions on French in Benin, and their estimations of the country’s linguistic future.
The results show that the Beninese languages hold great value in the lives of these students, while French is recognised for its roles in intercommunication, education, and international opportunity. One major finding is that many students hope to see a Beninese language acquire the same political status as French, with most advocating for official bilingualism: echoing findings from similar studies in other West African countries. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9199736
- author
- Sagbohan Kauppi, Kim LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- The Use of French and Language Attitudes among Beninese University Students — An Exploratory Sociolinguistic Study
- course
- FRAK11 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Attitudes linguistiques, Bénin, Français, Multilinguisme, Politique linguistique, Language attitudes, Benin, French, Multilingualism, Language policy
- language
- French
- id
- 9199736
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-16 09:57:47
- date last changed
- 2025-06-18 10:49:43
@misc{9199736,
abstract = {{In a country with over fifty spoken languages and a truly multilingual society, the existence of a single official language to unify the people may appear natural. However, when that language is inherited from former colonisers and is spoken fluently by less than 40% of the population, its status becomes questionable.
This study investigates the use of French and language attitudes among a small group of students at the University of Parakou in Benin. The aim is to explore their views on French being the country’s only official language, and the extent to which it is present in their daily lives. Through an online questionnaire, students were asked about their everyday language practices, which languages they consider important to pass on to future generations, their opinions on French in Benin, and their estimations of the country’s linguistic future.
The results show that the Beninese languages hold great value in the lives of these students, while French is recognised for its roles in intercommunication, education, and international opportunity. One major finding is that many students hope to see a Beninese language acquire the same political status as French, with most advocating for official bilingualism: echoing findings from similar studies in other West African countries.}},
author = {{Sagbohan Kauppi, Kim}},
language = {{fre}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Usages du français et attitudes linguistiques chez un groupe d’étudiant·es béninois·es — Une étude sociolinguistique exploratoire}},
year = {{2025}},
}