Linguistic pluricentrism and epistemic justice: some perspectives in light of the concept of linguistic citizenship

Abstract

In light of the concept of Linguistic Citizenship, this article reflects on some theoretical and epistemological notions that allow us to problematize the classification of two languages spoken in six countries of southern Africa, including Mozambique, as pluricentric languages. The research adopts a qualitative methodological approach, of an ethnographic nature, within the framework of linguistic ethnography, based on focus group discussions with educated speakers of two African languages. The results of this study suggest the need to consider linguistic pluricentrism without losing sight of the disinhibition of subjectivities imposed by colonialism. But also, as a potential mechanism for reversing the colonial technology of domination based on exclusion. This involves, on the one hand, looking at their generating criteria as unfinished ‘products’, susceptible to (re)interpretations. On the other hand, it involves, in their rereading, considering the context of use, the adverse colonial past to which African languages were subjected, and the ‘logos’ of ‘peripheralized’ subjects. From this framework, we argue that Nyanja and Changana, the languages analyzed, suggest pluricentric scenarios.