THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE IN TUNISIA

Abstract

The present paper aims to consider the issue of diversity as “cultural richness” that takes into account the linguistic landscape in Tunisia. Our objective is not to define the status of our mother tongue, considered by purists as a dialect and by modernists as a language, nor to define that of French, believed to be a preferred foreign language as several linguistics and sociolinguistics studies have examined this subject. We can cite the studies of Salah Mejri et al. edited in the journal «Synergies du Gerflint», published online on January 25th, 2010, in an issue dedicated to the linguistic landscape in Tunisia. Yet subsequent to the 2011 revolution, the issue was so pressing that politicians became involved to show that “the choice of a language is not neutral”. The transition from literal Arabic to dialectal Arabic (diglossia), or from the Tunisian dialect to French (bilingualism) can be interpreted as a sign of identity and/or openness. The present contribution aims to show how the Tunisian citizen has evolved from a cultural point of view, through the use of languages as different as they are, such as Arabic with its two slopes and French. For the purpose, I will examine the case of signs and poster ads in both languages. So, I will first determine the presence of Arabic (source language) in the translation (target language) by trying to classify the examples according to phonological, morpho-syntactic and lexical criteria. Second, I will Functional aspects of intercultural communication. Translation and interpreting issues. Proceedings. 2019. Volume 6 452 try to display the reasons behind the coexitence of two languages in certain signs, where the standards of two codes are resprected compared to other cases in which coexistence may seem difficult and complex. This will raise our awareness of the linguistic situation outside educational structures, where both French and literal Arabic are used unequally compared to the dialect. Contrary to Hubert Tullon (2009: 35) who thinks there is «a discourse [...] that opposes [...] the national language to foreign languages in the way Authenticity is opposed to Alienation", the present paper argues that, at the present time, the trend is towards promoting foreign languages while giving priority to the mother tongue especially in public places.