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Articles · Vol. 13 No. 2 (2005): Africa Media Review, Volume 13, n° 2, 2005

Reassessing the Impact of Colonial Languages on the African Identity for African Development

Vol. 13 · 2005 No. 2 Africa Media Review, Volume 13, n° 2, 2005 AMR

Abstract

The question of African development is examined as a close nexus between development and language. Language alone affects, structures, defines, and interprets all other aspects of human life. On the other hand, when we think of development, we think of human resources, about people who are the active agents in bringing about accomplishments in any field of endeavour. We cannot have a critical mass of human capital if the constituents are people who are
defined by others through pejorative words and have, unreflectively, accepted these words as an indicator of their true identity. My focus is on the English language, which embodies attitudes, referential meanings and perceptions that have greatly helped to distort the identity of the Africans. Given that words act as guides to the interpretation of social reality, Africa, caught on the wrong side of the colonial language, cannot make meaningful progress in her spiritual and
material civilisation. This paper concludes that until linguistic imbalances that demean the African are reviewed and righted, Africa’s strivings towards sustained development will continue to be severely checked.

Reassessing the Impact of Colonial Languages on the African Identity for African Development

La question du développement africain est analysée comme constituant un lien étroit entre développement et langue. La langue à elle seule influence, définit et permet d’interpréter tous les autres aspects de la vie humaine. En outre, lorsque
nous pensons au développement, nous pensons aux ressources humaines, aux personnes qui constituent des agents actifs permettant de faire des réalisations dans diverses activités. Nous ne pouvons disposer d’un bon capital humain, si
les personnes qui la composent sont des individus définis par les autres à travers des mots péjoratifs et qui, inconsciemment, ont accepté ces mots comme étant des indicateurs de leur réelle identité. L’objet de mon étude est la langue anglaise, qui symbolise diverses attitudes, divers référentiels et perceptions qui ont considérablement contribué à modifier l’identité des Africains. Etant donné que les mots guident l’interprétation de la réalité sociale, l’Afrique qui est
située du mauvais côté par rapport aux langues coloniales, et ne peut effectuer de progrès substantiels en termes de civilisation spirituelle et matérielle. L’auteur conclut en affirmant que les efforts de l’Afrique vers le développement durable continueront d’être mis à rude épreuve, tant que les déséquilibres linguistiques qui désavantagent les Africains ne seront pas analysés et corrigés.

Keywords

Language and development nationalism sociolinguistic and the development of the English language in Africa

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