Alsácia e Martinica: os contatos que originaram o atual cenário linguístico francês

Abstract

This article aims to compare two distinct regional linguistic formations in the present territory of the French Republic, considering both the “Hexagon” and its overseas regions. The first one is the present region of Alsace, which borders Germany. The second one is the currently overseas department of Martinique, an island located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Both regions preserve, in different proportions and contexts, their regional language, which are the Alsacien and the Créole Martiniquais. We have established a comparison between the contacts that gave rise to the two languages based on the population data, location, regional language policies, educational policies, the hierarchical status of these and other existing languages in these communities as well as how these aspects have behaved under the national language policy since the revolution of 1789. When dealing with these languages’ formations, we should also analyze the formation of the people who speak these languages: Alsace was formed from the “great migrations” of the Germanic peoples during the 5th and 6th centuries and two of them are still present in the region, as well as four languages which together mark the modern Alsacien. On the other hand, we have Martinique: the French colonization on the island began symbolically in 1635 and until the late 18th century the slave trade was still well marked in the region. It’s affirmed that this region has had up to thirteen different nations living with each other. Even though both languages have its origins from contacts of people, the Martinique Creole fits perfectly on the criteria to be considered a Creole language, however, for purely extra linguistics reasons, the Alsatian cannot. Could we ponder on the non-existence of Creoles, but on historical and cultural processes of creolization? This line of thought brings this disparity based on Calvet (2003, 1996), Chauderson (1989), Christian (2003, 1996) and Guisan (1998).