Code-mixing: A Linguistic Form of Bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon Literature - Research Article

Aug 26, 2026

Cameroon is described as an official bilingual nation after adopting English and French as official languages in the 1961 Foumban Conference, which shaped a federal structure with English- and French-speaking parts. This study examines the viability of code-mixing as a strategy that can mark the effectiveness of official bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon literature. Using Muysken’s (2000) framework and data from John Nkemngong Nkengasong’s Across the Mongolo (2004), findings show that code-mixing has progressive, positive effects, particularly through French lexical insertion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Introduction

Official Bilingualism in Cameroon

| RESEARCH ARTICLE Code-mixing: A Linguistic Form of Bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon Literature BINWE EMMANUEL The University of Maroua, Cameroon Corresponding Author: BINWE EMMANUEL, E-mail: [binweemmanuel606@gmail.com](binweemmanuel606@gmail.com) | ABSTRACT Cameroon is known as an official bilingual nation as the country adopted English and French as its two officiallanguages during the 1961 Foumban Conference. That conference laid the foundations of the Federal State of Cameroon with an English-speaking and a French-speaking part; one of the resolutions was the adoption of English and French as the two official languages of the country. This study attempts to ascertain the viability of code-mixing as a strategy that can mark the effectiveness of official bilingualism in Cameroon. This study was based on the framework of Muysken (2000) . The data for this work was collected from John Nkemngong Nkengasong’s Across the Mongolo (2004), an Anglophone author in the field of creative writing, whose work showed the effective use of English and French that can give the reliability and validity to this study under investigation of official bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon literature. The findings of the study reveal that code-mixing has progressive and positive effects in the field of creative writing, whereby French lexical insertion was used in order to promote official bilingualism in Cameroon since the country got its access to independence in 1960. | KEYWORDS Cameroon, Bilingualism, Anglophone, Literature, Code-mixing. | ARTICLE INFORMATION ACCEPTED: 12 December 2023 PUBLISHED: 03 February 2024 DOI: 10.61424/jlls.v1 . i1 .42 1. Introduction The aim of this study is to assess the code-mixing of English-French marking official bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon literature. Among the countries of the world where the phenomenon of bilingualism is experienced, Cameroon may be described as one of the most fascinating. While opening the Bilingual Grammar School in Bueain 1962, the first secondary education institution in the country located in the English-speaking region, Ahmadou Ahidjo, Cameroon’s first president, stated that, “By bilingualism, we mean the practical usage of our two officiallanguages, English and French, throughout the national territory.” This statement is quite clear in stating what is believed within political circles to be the manifestation, objective, and scope of the official language policy:“practical usage” and “throughout the national territory.” Still, this view is quite restrictive and vague as it provides clues only for educational implications but does not provide room for the development of the conceptual, linguistic , and cultural aspects of the bilingual policy. Besides, its vagueness is further understood if it is considered that the lack of clarity regarding domains of language use as well as target users is unsuitable for a country where the language policy must grapple with these factors in the search for national integration. Furthermore, from an educational stand point, it is not clear what language level must be attained by a user to demonstrate “practical usage” of the two languages. However, this view appears to define the school dimension of the bilingual policy, especially taking note of the situation, context, and purpose that warranted the statement. Furthermore, in 1977, while inaugurating the creation of a Government Bilingual High School in Yaounde in the French-speaking region similar to the one opened in the English-speaking region, the same president emphasised that “The progressive acquisition of bilingualism should be as perfect as possible; the standard of the language taught should not be as low as to be understood only by Cameroonians.” This later view, as the earlier one, attempts to settle the dust raised regarding the basic definition and description of both the wider concept of bilingualism and the beliefs concerning the phenomenon in the co

FAQs

What is the study’s main focus regarding bilingualism in Cameroon?

The study assesses code-mixing as a linguistic practice that can indicate the effectiveness of English-French official bilingualism in Anglophone Cameroon literature.

Which theoretical framework and literary data are used?

The analysis is based on Muysken (2000) and uses data drawn from John Nkemngong Nkengasong’s Across the Mongolo (2004).

What effects does the study report for code-mixing in creative writing?

The findings indicate that code-mixing produces progressive and positive effects, especially where French lexical insertion is used to promote official bilingualism.

Aug 26, 2026

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