Deconstructing the concept of colonial languages: The South-West Indian Ocean Islands

Abstract

The central argument of this paper is that it is misleading to adopt simple, homogeneous frameworks that are based on the traditional understanding of colonial domination and the legacies of colonialism when examining the link between languages and colonization. The label colonial language is not a first-order phenomenon. Its meaning is not determined by how the main historical events unfolded. While narratives of colonialism vary from one country to another—and this lies beyond the scope of the present paper in spite of some empirical research undertaken—it may be argued that the term colonial language does not carry a universal meaning that can be applied across all national contexts.   This article analyses some of the main socio-political events linked to languages which have unfolded in the South-West Indian Ocean Islands and which can shed light on the connection between languages and colonization-decolonization. The South-West Indian Ocean comprises several islands grouped into four island states (namely, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles) and two French island territories (namely, La Réunion and Mayotte). The first section will show that there is no strict correspondence between colonization defined from a chronological and geographical/political perspective and the meanings attached to colonial languages. The second section will examine the construct of colonial languages which implies that colonial powers adopted a clear and stereotypical approach to languages in their colonies. The third section challenges the idea that there is a single colonial legacy in terms of the relationship between languages and society. In particular, the meanings that colonial languages can have in the contemporary era depend on changing contextual issues and socio-cultural mutations.