An analysis of the postcolonial language policies and planning in Senegal from an ecolinguistic point of view

Abstract

This article focuses on the analysis of language policies and planning undertaken by the different governments of Senegal from independence to the present. We intend to address this issue based on the scientific literature and political-linguistic decisions and actions to elucidate the complexity of the Senegalese sociolinguistic situation. In addition, we resort to the ecolinguistic analysis approach of the Senegalese socio-educational environment for a sustainable regulation of the country’s sociolinguistic ecosystem. The results demonstrate the emergence and diffusion of a mixed national identity, associated with urban wolof, which offers new socio-educational perspectives and an opportunity for sustainable regulation of the Senegalese educational system, thanks to the neutralization of linguistic conflicts.