LANGUAGE, CONFLICT AND NATION BUILDING: AN APPRAISAL OF THE LINGUISTIC APPROACH IN CAMEROON

Abstract

Stakeholders in conflict matters often overlook the role of language in theresolution or settlement of conflicts. They tend to minimize the fact that the whole business of conflict resolution is a question of communication; and that communication entails the use of language. Exploring the linguistic aspects in the quest for solutions to conflicts is therefore an important avenue or approach to the multiple and diverse conflicts plaguing humanity today. The paper surveys how some resources and devices of linguistics are used to reconstruct, regulate and manipulate reality. It shall as well examine the ways political language is used in labelling and then categorising things, states, processes, people, events, phenomena and the goals of the state in order to frame them in a way appropriate to regulate and control the ideas and behaviour of the people.  Finally, the paper shall seek to explore the role of language in general and the semantic approach in conflict.