This article explores and discusses one of the main findings of the author’s recent dissertation, namely that parents’ and pupils’ choice of language of instruction in formal schooling depends on its social prestige. The author first reviews the latest research on language in education in sub-Saharan Africa, and asks why indigenous languages are so rarely used in formal schooling in this region, despite political demands for their greater use and ample scientific research showing their positive effects. Burkina Faso exemplifies this seemingly contradictory situation. Indigenous languages and French are complementary in formal and non-formal schooling as well as in areas of informal education; however, a closer look at the areas of application of each language reveals that indigenous languages have lower prestige than French, as well as lower expected and required outcomes. This is one possible explanation for the low usage rates of indigenous languages in formal schooling and reveals the extent to which the choice of language of instruction depends on its social prestige.

本文探讨并讨论了作者近期论文的主要发现之一，即父母和学生在正规学校中选择教学语言取决于其社会声望。作者首先回顾了撒哈拉以南非洲有关教育语言的最新研究，并询问为何尽管在政治上要求更广泛地使用土著语言，并且有充分的科学研究显示出它们的积极作用，但在该地区正规教育中很少使用土著语言。布基纳法索就是这种看似矛盾的情况的例证。在正式和非正式教育以及非正式教育领域，土著语言和法语是相辅相成的；但是，仔细研究每种语言的应用领域，可以发现土著语言的威信比法语低，以及较低的预期结果和要求的结果。这是对正规学校中土著语言使用率低的一种可能解释，它揭示了教学语言的选择取决于其社会声望的程度。