This study describes the contemporary Tunisian sociolinguistic situation, taking into consideration its historical evolution and the political, economic, social, cultural and educational factors contributing to its present development. The situation is interpreted in terms of a range of stratified language policy and planning dichotomies arising mainly from rivalling agendas for power pursuit and maintenance, ideological strain over languages and linked sociocultural models, and the lack of a consensual national strategy for multilingual language advancement and preservation.