Reviewed by Kirsten Fudeman, University of Pittsburgh

In his latest book, Maweja Mbaya takes a sociolinguistic approach to the languages of Senegal, exploring their functions and contexts, as well as the attitudes and aspirations linked to their use. M has a strong interest in linguistic politics, and towards the end of the volume he turns to questions such as the following: How will the linguistic physiognomy of Senegal change in the twenty-first century? How might politicians intervene in linguistic affairs so as to enable the people of Senegal to take full advantage of their complex linguistic situation? What is the future of French in Senegal? Of Arabic? Of English? And of the various lingua francas currently in use there?

The book has an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion. Ch. 1, ‘Le pays, les habitants, les langues’ (26–53), answers fundamental questions about Senegal and its people. The author moves quickly from describing the country’s size, location, and political system to describing its ethnic communities, of which the Wolof is the largest. It rapidly becomes clear that with about thirty linguistic varieties and six national languages, Senegal is an ideal topic of study for scholars who, like M, are interested in language contact and linguistic attitudes. Ch. 2, ‘Aperçu sociolinguistique’ (53–81), provides essential background information on the linguistic situation in Senegal by sketching four main periods: the precolonial period (before 1885), the colonial period (1885–1960), the postcolonial period (1960–1990), and the 1990s. Ch. 3, ‘Les langues en contact’ (82–176), deals with peaceful contact and conflict between languages, with the term ‘conflict’ often simply referring to competition for functions. For example, English is becoming increasingly important in domains that were once more heavily associated in Senegal with French, such as science, technology, education, and industry. More importantly, the relationship between French and the vernaculars is changing, with French losing ground to Wolof and local languages. And, of course, the French one hears in the streets of Senegal is not necessarily standard French. In the final two chapters, ‘La situation demain’ (177–94), and ‘Une réelle prise en charge’ (195–200), M focuses on linguistic politics, considering how the sociolinguistic situation in Senegal might change over the course of the next century, and formulating and motivating concrete suggestions that respond to the needs of the Senegalese people and increasing opportunities offered by globalization. Of the five maps that supplement the text, four are quite useful, but the type on one is so small as to be illegible.

The early chapters of this book provide the reader with a clear introduction to the linguistic situation of Senegal, and all five chapters, as well as the conclusion, contain much food for thought. I appreciated not only the discussion of topics listed above, but also the many examples in the text, including a code-switching dialogue in Wolof and French, lists of Arabic words borrowed into Wolof, Senegalese-French words and expressions, excerpts from the works of African writers of French expression, and specific details about the structure of Senegalese-French.