Sociolinguistic Dynamics of Sango

This sociolinguistic research project centres around the usage of Sango, an African lingua franca, which was promoted from national to official language in the Central African Republic in 1991. It is in the process of becoming a first vernacular for some young people in the capital Bangui and is understood and spoken by most people for whom it is a mark of their national identity.

The survey was conducted in the Central African Republic in 1990. The purpose was to determine to what extent men and women, children and adults, old and young people with different levels of education and from a variety of occupational, ethnic, and religious backgrounds use the languages at their disposal in thirty different domains. The results of the survey indicate that both Sango and the vernacular languages dominate complementary domains and that they share a few others. The statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between language choice and socio-economic factors, such as gender, age, level of education, occupation, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and place of residence.[In the interest of making this work available without further delay, we are posting it as it was written. It has not been subjected to further review.]