The Revitalization of Cameroonian Languages through the Translation of Some Official Documents: The Case of Kom in Boyo Division

Abstract

In the discussions of the status of African languages today, especially among linguists, one of the problems that keep coming up is the need for the revitalization of endangered languages threatened by the current trend of globalization. Most Cameroonian languages are used only for local socialization in the respective communities, but not in official domains in the administration because foreign languages have overshadowed them; and become the preferred mode of communication among the younger generation. This paper argues that the revitalization of Kom through the translation of some official documents will enable the language not only to assume some of the prestige-conferring and valorizing functions, but also penetrate new domains in the local municipality hitherto monopolized by colonial languages. This strategy is proposed based on the argument that once a language's status is raised through any revitalization technique, the speakers will perceive it on more equal ground with official languages albeit as a 'Local Official Language' (LOL). It uses the UN's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the conceptual framework.