Intergenerational Language Transmission within Families in Ouagadougou: Extent and Associated Factors

Ali SAWADOGO, Assistant de recherche
Moussa Bougma, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
Zomenassir Armand BATIONO, INSS/CNRST, Burkina Faso

This study uses data from the survey on production methods, family ideals, the costs and benefits of children, solidarity networks and fertility in Burkina Faso (EMIRCB). By calculating the prevalence rate of language transmission from one generation to the next and using logistic regression methods, it examines demolinguistic transmission within families in Ouagadougou. The results show that whatever the rank of the parent, the highest transmission rates are observed among the respondent's grandparents and parents, with proportions in excess of 94%. These rates gradually fall over the generations, reaching around 90% in the generation of the respondent's children. The downward trend in language transmission observed in the paternal line is also observed in the maternal line. Regardless of the lineage considered, the results show that intergenerational language transmission involves reproduction rather than modification, and is more influenced by the household's standard of living, the spouse's mother tongue and the woman's level of education. Key words: language transmission, language, generation, reproduction, substitution, complexification

Keywords: Population and Development, Older Adults and Intergenerational Relations, Population Policies, Data and Methods

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