Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity
Thesis (DLitt) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2012
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613836771590144 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Gijsen, Johan |
| author2 | Meiring, E. |
| author_browse | Gijsen, Johan Meiring, E. |
| author_facet | Meiring, E. Gijsen, Johan |
| author_sort | Gijsen, Johan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DLitt) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/58680 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:28.529Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publishDateRange | 2012 |
| publishDateSort | 2012 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/58680 French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity Gijsen, Johan Meiring, E. Combrink, J. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Art and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. Gobard, Henri -- Alienation linguistique English language -- Social aspects English language -- Foreign countries French language -- Social aspects French language -- Foreign countries Linguistic minorities Language, Universal Dissertations -- Linguistics Thesis (DLitt) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995. Certain languages are in danger of losing out to other, more dominant ones. This can result in a people’s linguistic alienation as well as cultural and possible political and economic decline. Minority languages, in particular, often do not oppose the intrusion of alien elements from more imperialistic languages into their own language. Both the Afrikaans and Flemish language communities have undergone linguistic changes through their exposure to more dominant languages, English and French respectively. The Flemings have been ruled by French for a substantial part of their history, while African languages are now openly supported by the South African government and English increasingly imposes itself as the dominant language here, Afrikaans finds itself at the receiving end of linguistic changes. On the other hand, the Walloon language community has long enjoyed political, cultural and economic superiority in Belgium owing to French, a major lingua franca. Substantially more has been written than research on the position of the respective languages used in these three communities. In South Africa, in particular, many questions are left unanswered concerning the behaviour and attitudes of Afrikaans speakers toward their language. The main purpose of this study was to establish the position of Afrikaans, Flemish/Dutch and Walloon/French and to find answers as to why these languages have recorded possible decline. As a starting point, I have used Henri Gobard’s theory of linguistic alienation through which I considered the respective languages in a situation where they confront each other. In his book “L’Aliénation linguistique: Analyse tétraglossique”, Gobard argues that there is an intrinsic link between inconsiderate language policy and language alienation. Although multilingualism must be acknowledged as an unavoidable norm for future language use, certain language communities have to make a conscious effort to safeguard their own linguistic identity. In this study, I have proposed Gobard’s four kinds of language use as a foundation upon which a language policy for linguistic minorities should be based. Moreover, I have set out to prove that each of these four linguistic modes needs protection against language alienation. This approach emphasizes not language structure but language function and it is function which has been put forward as the organizer of the languages discussed in this research. Specific consideration has been given to the possible threat English and “Americanisms” pose to the respective language communities. While English should be supported as the world’s most appropriate lingua franca, this ought not to entail a loss of identity for other (minority) languages. The presupposition has been made here that even the tiniest dialect vernaculars must be nurtured and defended since they represent the very nature of their speakers and are the carriers of their culture. I have also followed Gobard in taking the linguistic roots of the respective languages into consideration. To Gobard, the excess of sociolinguistic terms is proof of the absence of a holistic criterion to limit not only the different functions of a language, but also to prove their inherent link to the linguistic roots of the language. Although this research is limited to three linguistic communities, Gobard’s distinctions of types of languages are proposed here for any cultural area, whatever the nature of the language used there. In this, I believe, lies the true value of this research. Gobard’s theory offers refreshingly new sociolinguistic viewpoints, capable of transcending the present terminological “jungle”. Doctoral 2012-08-27T11:39:05Z 2012-08-27T11:39:05Z 1995 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/58680 en Stellenbosch University 349 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Gobard, Henri -- Alienation linguistique English language -- Social aspects English language -- Foreign countries French language -- Social aspects French language -- Foreign countries Linguistic minorities Language, Universal Dissertations -- Linguistics Gijsen, Johan French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title | French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title_full | French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title_fullStr | French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title_full_unstemmed | French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title_short | French and English language imperialism in the light of Gobard's tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to Afrikaans, Flemish and Walloon language identity |
| title_sort | french and english language imperialism in the light of gobard s tetraglossic theory of language alienation with special reference to afrikaans flemish and walloon language identity |
| topic | Gobard, Henri -- Alienation linguistique English language -- Social aspects English language -- Foreign countries French language -- Social aspects French language -- Foreign countries Linguistic minorities Language, Universal Dissertations -- Linguistics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/58680 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gijsenjohan frenchandenglishlanguageimperialisminthelightofgobardstetraglossictheoryoflanguagealienationwithspecialreferencetoafrikaansflemishandwalloonlanguageidentity |