Linguistic (In) Equality, National Unity and Stability in Multilingual Commonwealth States: Cameroon's Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the political function and implication of linguistic (in) equality on the potential of national unity and stability in multilingual Commonwealth States. Official multilingual States may enjoy the envious reputation of being bilingual or multilingual as the case may be, but run the risk of political instability when all the languages are not treated justly. The risk of politicizing linguistic injustice or inequality is high in multilingual societies where one language is seen to dominate others. In Cameroon, English and French are official languages with equal status. However, the weak institutionalization of linguistic equality has created complexities of inferiority and superiority among Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians, expressed in the struggle between two linguistic movements: French-only movement acting offensive nationalism and English-only movement acting defensive nationalism. Both movements which carry the germs of nationalism are in competition for survival, and in trying to do so, they reinvent political identities based on linguistic affinities. The study finds that linguistic inequality can be interpreted as a form of linguistic injustice and serve political claims that could go as far as questioning the form of the State. However, there is hope. Linguistic diversity can make sense for unity and stability when language communities perceive each other's language as complement.