La volubilité expressive en action: comment les Camerounais francophones répondent au compliment

Abstract

The article analyzes how French is used by French-speaking Cameroonians in language acts. We propose a typology of strategies employed by French-speaking Cameroonians to respond to compliments and maintain social relationships. The article shows that unlike European and Asian cultural spaces characterized by stereotypical reactions, underlying respect for the dual constraint (modesty, for example), responses in the Cameroonian context are marked by an expressive volubility, which generates a wide variety of hybrid discursive strategies from the point of view of the form that are ambiguous from a pragmatic perspective.

Cuvinte-cheie: limbă, act, cultură, compliment, limba franceză, strategie

REZUMAT

Scopul acestui articol este de a arăta în ce mod limba franceză este întrebuinţată în acte de limbaj, în Camerun. În acest context, ne propunem să prezentăm atât o tipologie a strategiilor verbale, întrebuinţate în ţara sus-numită, pentru a exprima complimente, cât şi impactul acestora asupra relaţiilor sociale. Prezentarea în cauză ne permite să constatăm că, contrar spaţiilor culturale europene şi asiatice, pentru care sunt caracteristice reacţii stereotipice, axate pe modestie, actele de limbaj în Camerun sunt toate marcate de volubilitate expresivă, ce dă naştere unor strategii discursive pe cât de hibride din punct de vedere al formei, pe atât de ambigue din punct de vedere pragmatic.

LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION

French

TITLE IN ENGLISH

Expressive Volubility in Action: How French–speaking Cameroonians Respond to Compliments

UDC: 811.133.1(6)`271.2

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Received: December 15, 2008 | Reviewed: January 2, 2009 | Accepted for publication: March 2, 2009

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