<div dir="ltr"><h1>FREEDOM AND EMPOWERMENT : Language Policy and Economic Development</h1>
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Article paru dans <a href="http://www.lemauricien.com/topics/Le%20Mauricien">Le Mauricien</a> |
<time datetime="2017-01-13">13 January, 2017 - 18:00</time>
| Par <a href="http://www.lemauricien.com/author/dr-roshni-mooneeram" rel="foaf:publications">DR ROSHNI MOONEERAM</a>
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<div><p>The language policy of a country is
directly related to its economic development. This is why we need a
clearly demarcated management of our rich linguistic capital. End of
2016, the Festival Kreol was closed on the triumphant announcement that
Kreol would be used in Parliament very soon. Just before, there have
been comments from academics on how Kreol should only be taught in
schools by Creole faces (whatever this means).</p>
<p> Let’s disentangle a few things. Firstly, languages fulfil two
purposes, they are tools for communication, they also serve as identity
badges. Secondly, Kreol is not the property of one politician, his
party, or an ethnic group. It is a language that originated with slaves
and to which we have all contributed. It is undeniably the national
language of Mauritius. The only language I ever spoke in our family home
is Kreol, because it is the language of all Mauritians, ours. We
laughed, cried and dreamt in Kreol. It is the language of our hearts, of
our guts, of our earliest lullaby, it is the language that binds us to
the country, to each other, beyond ethnicity, geography and social
class. It is, in fact, one of our marvels as a nation. We have all
chiselled at it, bringing in new elements. Our creative writers in
particular have helped to turn it from the language of the street to the
language of literature, capable of expressing the sublime. My book From
Creole to Standard (2009) pays homage to the unique journey of our
national language.</p>
<p> Yes it is true that in a democracy the people should have access to
the language of government, the judiciary, Parliament. And Creole must
occupy its rightful place. But should it replace English? While there is
every reason to teach our children to be proud of their mother tongue,
we cannot however take national decisions driven by abject populism.
Theoretically, yes, Kreol could fulfil all the functions that
long-established languages like English and French do. But the registers
for its use in science, technology, Parliament, Government, the
judicial system, all have to be created, disseminated, accepted and
learnt. We are far from that point and this is a long drawn process.
Sure, 3 centuries ago there was a nationalistic upsurge built around
languages in Europe which saw the rise of English, French, Italian which
broke free from the imperial supremacy of Latin. In turn these ‘new’
languages have exerted immense influence on the world. But we cannot
model the language policy of an island with no natural resources and
little economic power in the middle on the ocean onto the rise of
almighty European countries 3 centuries ago.</p>
<p> Our economic transactions are dependent on our negotiations with
other parts of the world. Our immediate neighbours in the Indian Ocean
are all English-speaking countries, East and South Africa, South Asia,
Australia. Surely as Africa rises to its fullest potential, we would
want to weave powerful networks on the continent. We would want to
nurture mutual openness and understanding across Parliamentary debates
in the region and Parliamentary debates at home.<br>
The last thing we want to do is close off future generations of
Mauritians into a linguistic ghetto. Isn’t a half-way house of
interpretation of debates into Creole a wiser way forward? The bulk of
the financial and human resources that would be required to translate
all legal texts into Kreol, create the registers, then train all
concerned could, instead, be invested into an improved English language
education for everyone. We could invest the same resources into
elevating our population to becoming bi-lingual or tri-lingual in the
long term. Yes there will be one more lost generation of Mauritians who
will miss out. But ask the question to the average Mauritian. Do they
aspire to a situation whereby everyone masters Kreol in every sphere of
life? Or would they rather that we start nurturing generations of
children who master at least one global language? And this through
tested means: a review of language policy, bold steps towards a
progressive pedagogy around English, ensuring that the English language
occupies some of the market space (so that children are familiar with
the language even before they go to kindergarten).</p>
<p> We do not have to go very far. If we take a look at postcolonial
countries, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, we will see that initially
they all launched into a nationalistic language policy. Lee Kwan Yew
understood that if he wanted to drive economic and social development,
it was not Malay that was going to achieve that, but English. There are
undeniable and direct links between language policy and economic
development. Lee Kwan Yew chose with lucidity to implement English as
the official language while making sure that various mother tongues also
found their rightful place in the national scape. Singapore has not
looked back on its historical decision. Pakistan made a u-turn in the
1980s from Urdu-medium schools to English-medium schools. There is a
similar story with Malaysia. We are a new nation with the chance to not
repeat the mistakes that other countries have made. <br>
The language policy of a country determines the economic future of a
country, it cannot be left to the whim of one politician, especially
those who are not particularly visionary, and a few friends. Nor can it
be left at the whim of academics pushing out their own boats. I have
been one, I have known the passion with which academics defend their
lifetime investment, their bastions, their schools, their mountains. But
this is a national project that should surpass the egos and short-term
personal/ethnic/political interests. We are not in a position to make a
decision for generations of Mauritians to come on the basis of a
fraught nationalistic idea that we cannot afford. Now, more than ever,
we need to be reinforcing our ability to harness the global language par
excellence and more languages with global currency.<br>
We are not empowered if we think that Kreol is vulgar, there is no such
thing as a vulgar language. All languages are born from the genius at
the core of our humanity. The only vulgar thing is the persistence of
19th Century colonial racism that we have imbibed. But equally, our
politicians would be kidding their electorate by making us think that
our success and salvation lies in the entrance of Kreol in Parliament.
Salvation in the 21st Century lies in providing the tools and the
environment that allows our children to use their mother tongue with
pride + access to English, French and more international languages that
open the doors of opportunity. By all means, let us invest in a nation
of literate people. But let us make sure that the decisions we make
today will bring freedom and empowerment to our people in 30 years time.</p>
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