Etude sociohistorique et sociolinguistique de l'enseignment du francais en Louisiane (French text).

摘要

This study, based on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of linguistic domination and social relations of power, emphasizes the role of the school system in the reproduction, imposition, and inculcation of a legitimate dominant language to the detriment of minority languages. In Louisiana, schools have played a decisive role in language maintenance. Language of schooling has been a site of struggle for political and social domination. Two educational models, French and Anglo-American, conflicted over time for their principles, values, methods, and language use. During the colonization, French religious and private schools, designated for Creole elite, contributed to the reproduction and promotion of the French language. After Louisiana was purchased by the United States in 1803 and the American public education system was introduced in 1847, the French schools gradually assimilated into the American model. Educational systems suppressed French and promoted Americanization by imposing English as a symbolic power. The use of French was officially prohibited in public primary schools from 1921 to 1968. Formerly dominant, French has become a declining minority language.; In 1968, Louisiana officially became a bilingual state. With the expansion of the French renaissance movement and the foundation of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), schools have become the main agent for revitalizing the French language. However, this bilingualism is not institutionalized de facto. Louisiana is in a diglossic situation, where the second official language, French, has a lower status than English. According to the census, the number of French speakers (those who speak French at home) is decreasing steadily (by 24% in 1990–2000). On the other hand, the linguistic variety valued in the schools is Standard French, in detriment of Cajun French and Louisiana French Creole, spoken in South Louisiana. The integration of these vernaculars in the school curriculum becomes a crucial factor for the preservation of the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Franco-Louisianians. Schools, along with other social agents (family, community, church, media), have yet a mission to accomplish in order to prevent the decline of the French language as an integral part of ethnic identity.