A Bird’s-Eye View of the Sociolinguistic Landscape of Seychelles
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| Title: | A Bird’s-Eye View of the Sociolinguistic Landscape of Seychelles |
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| Authors: | Deutschmann, Mats, 1964 |
| Source: | Seychelles Research Journal (SRJ). 7(2):18-33 |
| Subject Terms: | Seychelles, language policy, sociolinguistics, Seselwa, trilingual policy, Lingvistik, Linguistics |
| Description: | The article gives an overview of Seychelles’ language ecology in various domains including politics, the judiciary, education, media, religion as well as the language practices ‘in the street’ and of everyday informal communication. In Seychelles, Kreol Seselwa serves as the primary language for informal oral communication, while English dominates in formal oral contexts. This dynamic shifts depending on the domain. For instance, in the judiciary, English is exclusively used for official oral proceedings, whereas all debates in the National Assembly are conducted in Kreol Seselwa. In the education system, Kreol Seselwa is the medium of instruction during the first two years, after which English becomes the primary language. In written communication, English overwhelmingly prevails, except for the verbatim records of political debates in the National Assembly, which are transcribed in Kreol Seselwa. French, meanwhile, plays only a minor role, mainly in religious and cultural contexts, such as traditional songs. Seychellois language ideologies surrounding Kreol Seselwa and English are complex and often contradictory. While many Seychellois take pride in their mother tongue, viewing it as a core part of their national identity and recognizing its importance in national language policy, negative perceptions persist, particularly regarding its formal use in education and professional settings. These conflicting attitudes likely stem from the country’s colonial history and evolving societal structures. The article closes with identifying gaps in current sociolinguistic research where language use and code mixing in social media is identified as a particularly interesting area of investigation. |
| File Description: | electronic |
| Access URL: | https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-123673 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16730813 |
| Database: | SwePub |
Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstract: | The article gives an overview of Seychelles’ language ecology in various domains including politics, the judiciary, education, media, religion as well as the language practices ‘in the street’ and of everyday informal communication. In Seychelles, Kreol Seselwa serves as the primary language for informal oral communication, while English dominates in formal oral contexts. This dynamic shifts depending on the domain. For instance, in the judiciary, English is exclusively used for official oral proceedings, whereas all debates in the National Assembly are conducted in Kreol Seselwa. In the education system, Kreol Seselwa is the medium of instruction during the first two years, after which English becomes the primary language. In written communication, English overwhelmingly prevails, except for the verbatim records of political debates in the National Assembly, which are transcribed in Kreol Seselwa. French, meanwhile, plays only a minor role, mainly in religious and cultural contexts, such as traditional songs. Seychellois language ideologies surrounding Kreol Seselwa and English are complex and often contradictory. While many Seychellois take pride in their mother tongue, viewing it as a core part of their national identity and recognizing its importance in national language policy, negative perceptions persist, particularly regarding its formal use in education and professional settings. These conflicting attitudes likely stem from the country’s colonial history and evolving societal structures. The article closes with identifying gaps in current sociolinguistic research where language use and code mixing in social media is identified as a particularly interesting area of investigation. |
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| ISSN: | 16597435 |
| DOI: | 10.5281/zenodo.16730813 |