ENGLISH AND FRENCH LANGUAGES IN MULTIBUAGE AFRICA: LANGUAGE POLICY AND EDUCATION

Abstract

The study focuses on the existence of French and English in sub-Saharan Africa. The article discusses two new linguocultural environments that have developed in postcolonial Africa: anglophone and francophone. Scientists raise the question of the state status of English and French in Sub-Saharan Africa, their sociocultural role and the problems of their functioning in these countries. Particular attention is paid to the ongoing language policy in sub-Saharan Africa, according to which English and French become an obligatory component of the sociocultural environment, which, on the one hand, is imposed against the will of Africans, and, on the other hand, unites multilingual African ethnic groups. The main role in the conduct of language policy is played by education, through which the European languages in question penetrate into an unnatural linguocultural environment for them. The paper describes the approaches to teaching languages, typical of English-speaking and French-speaking countries, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.