Local Languages and DominantLlinguistic Ideology (Tanzania)

Tanzania forged national unity around a single language, Swahili, making the country an example of language planning. Based on ethnographic observations of multilingual practices in the inland region of Iringa, this article explores the role of secondary public education in spreading the dominant linguistic ideology through the villages. In the quickly expanding education sector, the highest value is systematically attributed to English. This disrupts the long-time balance between the local Hehe and the national Swahili languages, causing resistance. This is perceptible when speakers surreptitiously use linguistic strategies to overthrow that domination, speaking their local language in areas where it is normally or legally excluded.