Cameroon does it the Frananglais way

Cameroon was colonised by the entire gamut of the traditionally empire-hungry nations. The French, the British and the Germans all left their mark. Of the three, France and Britain left the two official languages in their wake, alongside which are a further 250 indigenous languages.

Of the two official languages French is dominant and effectively the language of government, the economy and all matters pertaining to the persona of Cameroon. English is the lesser spoken language and you will hear it spoken in Limbe and its surrounds; only the extreme west of the country is predominantly English-speaking.

According to a recent report by the BBC, opinion is sharply divided on the origins of Frananglais.

Francoise Endwin, head of the French department of the Linguistic Centre in Douala says it developed because French and English have a lot of similarities, despite their different syntax. To cut corners, schoolchildren just mix both, the end result being that they understand each other.

Yes OK, but I think that’s a very, very small part of it. In fact, I believe Frananglais is a powerful example of modern communications and expression led by the youth wielding the most potent instrument created in the last century: The mobile phone.

"Frananglais is cool," says Aboti Mariette, a 16-year-old student at the Lycee Technique in Douala. "How do you expect my English-speaking friends to understand my message if I don't use frananglais? They will not comprend tout ce que je dis (understand everything I say)," she says smiling.

Premature?

The media and marketing fraternity has also tentatively experimented with Frananglais. A large local drinks company has used Frananglais on many of their billboards. While cost saving on production has been significant, the result in terms of communication acceptance has been mixed and mature French speakers appear to take offence to their language being abused in this way.

The move was probably slightly premature and the motive too financially driven. Time will tell. One can only think that a more youthful brand targeted at a more relevant consumer segment would have yielded more positive results.

The common view is that English speakers in the country rarely speak pure English and that Creol (Pidgin) is really the language of the minority. Conservatives also see Frananglais as a dangerous shift towards a ‘national pidgin language’ and therefore a threat to the future of the French language in the country.

Fang Hyronius Forghema, head teacher of the Ladybird Nursery and Primary school in Douala described Frananglais as "corrupt" and a bad influence on spoken and written English and French.

The 500-pupil school now has French- and English-speaking days where all pupils must speak only one of the two official languages - there is no Frananglais day.

Pupils who break these linguistic rules are punished severely, but that has not stopped the usage of Frananglais on school premises and musicians are also now beginning to use Frananglais in their music.

Some speculate that Frananglais could become the new national language of Cameroon. Idealists believe it could be the one bond that could unite the nation.

The overriding factor is that Frananglais is moving towards being the language of the youth and its future is written in the stars, but, as long as it helps people communicate, it is not only a fine thing indeed, it is fantastic.

Can you speak Frananglais?

The short answer is probably ‘No’, so here are some examples:
Tu as go au school - Did you go to school?
Tu a sleep hier? - Did you sleep well last night?
Tout le monde hate me, wey I no know - Everybody hates me, I don't know why
Je veux go - I want to go
Il est come - He has come
Tu play le damba tous les jours? - Do you play football every day?
Tu as sleep hier? means Did you sleep well last night?, while Tout le monde hate me, wey I no know is Everybody hates me, I don't know why.