Language Factors Affecting the Katanga Language Spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Abstract There have been debates about how languages used in some of the multilingual African countries have had a negative impact on the minority languages and cultures of the people. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), some of the languages are used in both the public and the private domains while other languages are only used in the private sectors. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the language factors affecting the inferior status of the Katanga language in the DRC. The study examined the impacts of French, English and Kiswahili dominant languages over the status of the Katanga language in relation to the strategies used by its speakers to revitalise its usage. The study employed qualitative research method which used a case study design. A purposeful sample of thirty (30) Congolese-Katanga people was used in this study. Data were collected through interviews. The findings revealed that the Katanga language was endangered since it was not used in the public domains such as education in the DRC. The study recommended the use of the Katanga language at the schools or the universities.