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Part of
World Englishes in their Local Multilingual Ecologies
Edited by Peter Siemund, Gardy Stein and Manuela Vida-Mannl
[Hamburg Studies on Linguistic Diversity 9] 2025
► pp. 64–90

Chapter 4
English in the multilingual ecology of anglophone and francophone Cameroon

 | University of Hamburg
Even in comparison to the extensive multilingualism on the African continent, the linguistic ecology of Cameroon is special. In addition to a vast diversity of indigenous languages, it has two official languages, English and French, the lingua franca Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE), and the emerging urban code Camfranglais, all of which compete for domains and usage. To better understand the dynamics at work in Cameroon, this chapter presents a summary of existing literature on the unique linguistic situation of this Central African state, combining the findings of recent studies to form a tentative overview of its multilingual ecology. A special focus lies on the varieties of English used and their relationship with local languages, CPE, and French, thus presenting a holistic view of what position English takes in Cameroon today. While being a minority language in terms of speaker numbers, English becomes more important as the language of globalization, as even francophone parents seek English-medium instruction for their children. Reflecting the ongoing, in many cases hostile debate on the use of the two official languages as well as the promotion of national languages, results from empirical studies about language attitudes of francophone and anglophone Cameroonians are discussed. The author adds findings from her research on francophone adolescents in Yaoundé, which seem to herald a more conciliatory point of view.
Keywords: bilingualism, Cameroon, Cameroonian English, Camfranglais, language attitudes, multilingual ecology of Cameroon
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The development of official French-English bilingualism in Cameroon
    • 1.2English and French in education
    • 1.3The ‘Anglophone Crisis’
  • 2.The multilingual ecology of Cameroon today
    • 2.1Indigenous languages
    • 2.2French in Cameroon and its varieties
    • 2.3English in Cameroon and its varieties
    • 2.4Cameroon Pidgin English
    • 2.5Camfranglais
  • 3.Language attitudes in Cameroon
    • 3.1Comparing anglophones’ and francophones’ language attitudes
    • 3.2Changing attitudes of young francophone speakers towards English
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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