An Ethnographic Appraisal of Multilingualism and Intergenerational Relationship in Lower Fungom of the North West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

People born at about the same time grow up sharing an historical period that shapes their views. These people are often referred to as a “generation” and are often entrusted with a social, political, divine or natural responsibility. The methods of expressing these relationships can be cordial or hostile depending on the peer groups, gender or cultural norms of the group. Expressing these relations becomes more complex in multilingual communities as we see in Lower Fungom. This paper examines the interface between indigenous knowledge and identity management, particularly the relevance of generation in multilingual communities. A sociolinguistic survey was carried out in four of the thirteen villages of Lower Fungom with an ethnographic interview guide that handled both linguistic and ethnographic information. The information collected through in-depth interviews was later verified through focus groups discussions where the participants refuted or confirmed what was provided as information during in-depth interviews. The data collected revealed that significant rates of multilingualism in the area are explained socially in terms of blood relations, marriage, perceived proximity and similarity, religion, education, individual relations and movements. Also, the data suggests that household multilingualism transmitted from one generation to another has become a culture and is responsible for the peaceful community and intercommunity coexistence in the area. Hence, there is no identity crisis in Lower Fungom communities but a new way of negotiating identity which begins from the household where there is tolerance and consensus in the use of different languages. Unlike in Lower Fungom where there is tolerance and consensus between generations in the practice of multilingualism, the situation has not been the same at the national level where a language crisis has engendered other crisis such as economic, political, and social crisis and consequent dysfunction in the country.