Acceso usuarios
David Guyot
First, the author brings to thefore the historical permanence ofthe mastery of European languages äs a competence linked to the Status of "metis" in Togo. If the urban disglossia of Lome, resting on the hierarchy between French and urban mina, establishes the basic linguistic stakes, the diverse forms, by which certain "metis" groups try in particular to impose a definition of legitimate bilinguism, show that the link constructed between African and European languages is not uniform. The nature of this link depends on the social position ofthe "metis", by thefact that the command of an African language competence — a weak cultural reputation — is not equally perceived äs a threat to its Status äs a "metis".
The study of linguistic competences in Togolese "metis" in this way contributes to a more general chapter of the study of multilingualism in Africa, notably in allowing the exploration of the practical, complex effects ofthe sociably constructed link which could exist between "racial" identity and linguistic competences, beyond a convenient correspondence between ethnical belonging and language.
