From: biem@atr-hr.atr.co.jp (Alain Biem)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: soc.culture.african.french
Date: 18 Dec 92 02:07:52 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: ATR Auditory and Visual Perception Research Labs., Japan
In-reply-to: shemlon@occlusal.rutgers.edu's message of 15 Dec 92 23:48:39 GMT


   
   >TRANSLATION-----------------------------------------------------------
   >I would like to seize this opportunity to ask your opinion on the
   >language problem in Africa. Taking Cameroon that many historians have
   >referred to as "Africa in miniature" as an example, we have about 230
   >different ethnic languages for 12 million people. ****I, Shemlon
   >believe the biblically famous tower of Babel might have been built in
   >Cameroon***. In the name of national unity many Cameroonians have
   >suggested that one of these languages should be chosen as the National
   >language, but which one should be chosen? The opponents of such an idea
   >believe such a move would be tantamount to the assasination of our
   >linguistic heritage.
   >
   >RESPONSE *****************************************************
   >Many African countries experience the same problem and I believe this
   >is one of the reasons they all adopted European languages at
   >Independence because none of them was ready to lose their language in
   >favour of the other's. Surprisingly they all preferred to lose all
   >their languages in favour of the "whiteman's". In fact in Africa this
   >is the greatest evidence to support my claim that the European
   >brainwashing machinery was so effective that it continues to control
   >us to this day. .....
   >(the law of the jungle is everywhere you know). I will suggest that
   >all these languages be seriously documented and kept as part of our
   >linguistic heritage just like we now view Latin, Aramaic, Ancient
   >Hebrew, Scottish, Welsh etc. In Cameroon I support the idea of some
   >intellectuals that regional languages be selected based on ethnic
   >numbers and taught in every region of the country and from this a
   >national language will be born. In addition I will advice that an
   >international African language like Swahili or Hausa be taught in case
   >Africa is united before the dream of linguistic integration is achieved
   >in Cameroon.
   >
   

   Our pride as being Africans certainly lead us to find attractive
the idea of chosing an africam langage to be thaught to all african.
Though I will support this idea, I can't help myself asking some
questions over the ability of such a language to help us maintain our
level in the international geo-politic system led by western countries.
 To say think simpler, there is no for example, scientific books nor
reports written in any african language and it may take time and money
to get them translated in a case such an africam langage was chosen.
 There is also, the writting problem. I mean, we 're now using the
western way of writting. So, thinking of a new  Africam langage means
thinking of  our proper way of writting. There are some examples
throughout history of the development of African scriptures (think of
Egyptians 'hieroglyph or Cameroon'Sultan Njoya...). But, the African
Culture is essentially oral. Nowadays,  the powerful langages are the
ones with their proper way of writing (Think of Japanese, Russian,
arabic... , for example). What I want to say is that, Scripture is a
safeguard of the power of  a langauge...If we don't have our own
scripture it is useless to think of our own african langage...Plus,
there is a wide variety of language going from the bantous' to the
Ethiopians. Some of them without sharing any common
characteristics. Funny, some Africans language are linguistically
closer to some europeans'ones. ... so, dear fellow countrymen, is it
worth regionalizing Cameroon's langages to give birth to a common
langage ? not sure 




TRANSLATION--------------------------
 Notre fierte d'africains nous amene a choisir une africaine comme
langue international. Je soutient l'idee, bien que plusieurs questions
me viennent a l'esprit sur l'abilite d'un tel language a maintenir
notre niveau  dans un monde domine par les pays occidentaux. En effet,
 il n'ya pas de livres scientifiques ecrit avec
un langue africaine, et  cela prendrait beaucoup d'energie de le
faire . D'autre part, Penser a une langue africaine revient aussi a
penser a une ecriture africaine. Car la puissance d'une langue va de pair
avec son ecriture specifique (example, Arabe, Russe, Japonais...). Et
puis, certaines langues africaines sont linguistiquement plus proches
des langues europeenes, c'est drole non ? Alors, chers compatriotes,
une regionalisation des langues donnant naissance une langues commune
est-lle la meilleure solution ?



 Alain Biem
 Advanced Telecommunications Research Labs (ATR).
 Kyoto, JAPAN