French at the Crossroads of Identities: Discourse and Perception Among Algerian Academics

Abstract

Characterized by the coexistence of several languages in contact—Arabic, Amazigh, French, and various dialectal varieties—the Algerian sociolinguistic context reserves a unique and often controversial position for the French language. Indeed, a legacy of the colonial period, French remains an instrument of social mobility and a major source of symbolic capital, generating various tensions: resistance and ambivalent discourse regarding its legitimacy. Through this study, we propose to examine the linguistic representations and attitudes of first-year undergraduate students enrolled in a French degree program at the University of Chlef. Primarily situated within a sociolinguistic and psychological (social psychology) framework, the exploration of these representations relies exclusively on a meticulously designed questionnaire, the purpose of which is to examine the affective, identity-related, and academic dimensions of the relationship with the French language. The analysis of students' declarative discourse highlights the coexistence of contrasting stances: on the one hand, a valorization of the French language as a recognized vehicle of knowledge, a window onto other cultures, and a guarantee of social success; on the other hand, a feeling marked by the weight of the colonial past and a certain linguistic insecurity linked to perceived competence and societal expectations. In conclusion, this research underscores the need to rethink the teaching of French in Algeria in light of learners' linguistic representations, in order to reduce forms of linguistic insecurity and foster a more relaxed, critical, and reflective relationship with the French language.