Burundi and Rwanda

Nimbona, Gélase [Université du Burundi] Simon, Anne-Catherine [UCL]

(eng) Burundi and Rwanda are among the few African countries where French coexists with a small number of languages, namely Kirundi (in Burundi), Kinyarwanda (in Rwanda), Kiswahili, and more recently English in a progressively increasing position with the entry of these countries in the East African Community. The chapter offers an updated presentation of the linguistic characteristics of French as it is spoken and written by Burundians and Rwandans, taking into account the fact that French was imported by Belgian colonisers. It also offers an overview of the trends in action at various levels, including the competition with English since the integration into the East African Community and the importance of schooling policies.