The French language in Tunisia in the context of polynomial language functioning

Abstract

The article examines the vectors of spatial variation of multinational languages, including the French language; the area of the Francophonie includes several subregions, including the North African subarea. The aim of the study is to clarify the state and functioning of the French language in Tunisia, one of the bilingual subareas of the Maghreb. The theoretical basis is J.-B. Marcellesi’s theory of the polynomial development of languages as a multidirectional movement of variants that are not reducible to normative ones, as well as G. Manessi’s concept of the interaction between exogenous (external) norms and endogenous (internal) norms. The practical analysis includes a comprehensive examination of the Tunisian variety as one of the specific implementations of the French language system. The article examines the internal structural (lexical-semantic, morphological, and syntactic), sociolinguistic, and sociocultural features of the French language in Tunisia in the context of Franco-Arabic bilingualism, interaction, and competition between the French and Arabic languages and their varieties. The interaction between the reference French norm, the Franco-Tunisian local norms, and the hybridized youth forms based on the French language is examined. The priorities of collective perceptions of the reference language and local speech forms, including their status, are identified. Based on these aspects, it is concluded that the French language functions in Tunisia in a polyphonic manner, but not in a polyphonic manner in general. The direction and results of the study can be used in the study of other areas of the French language outside of France and in clarifying the issue of the polynominal functioning of the French language.

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