Eric A. Anchimbe provides a sociolinguistic overview of the relationship between language policy, the construction of linguistic identities, and social interaction in Cameroon. This book is a companion to Anchimbe's Cameroon English: Authenticity, ecology and evolution (Peter Lang, 2006), which describes Cameroon English within its own natural internal and external ecology, and analyses it as a complete medium of communication that represents a complete sociohistorical community.
Language policy and identity construction argues that choices in language policy influence people's choices in identity construction and daily communication. The choices may range from macro references to one language or accent or an appropriate linguistic identity to micro choices of words and discourse and communicative strategies in interpersonal and intergroup interaction.
Anchimbe contributes four chronological parts to his overall aim by investigating: (i) the inconsistent efforts of the state in empowering indigenous languages, so that English, for anglophones, and French, for francophones, were salient identity markers, ensuring that Carmeroonians were bilingual in the official languages (Part I); (ii) the more enthusiastic empowerment of official languages and the hybrid linguistic and cultural identities constructed in response to this selective empowerment of languages, so that ethic and indigenous languages have also become strong identity markers during and after colonialism (Part II); (iii) the expanding roles of Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) and its emergence as a new overt identity symbol, expanding its functions and being used by more and more people as a result of its suitability in interethnic and intergroup interaction (Part III); and (iv) patterns of societal interaction and communication that reflect the hybrid identities of multilingual speakers, for example, the sociocultural aspects of respect and politeness systems in spoken and written English in Cameroon (Ch. 10) and the construction of social identities by youths through the recontextualisation and semantic restructuring of English words and expressions (Ch. 11; Part IV). To illustrate how the above issues are interrelated, the conclusion provides a unifying big picture that focuses on language policy, linguistic identity construction, indigenous language empowerment through teaching, and social interaction.
The impacts of political language policy on daily language use in sociocultural and interpersonal interactions, multiple identity construction, indigenous language teaching, and empowerment are current issues in sociolinguistics. Anchimbe's book is fascinating, with rich documents, such as indigenous language policies during colonialism (German from 1884 to 1916, French from 1916 to 1960, and British from 1916 to 1961) and after independence and up-to-date materials on these issues and on Cameroon in particular, such as examples of CPE in use (radio broadcasts, pidgin news, court weddings, and the electoral code in CPE). Language policy and identity should be a must for anyone interested in the sociolinguistics of Cameroon and beyond.
