"Le français c’est une langue qu’on ne connaît jamais parfaitement" Idéologies linguistiques et auto-identifications des personnes issues de l’immigration

Abstract

This article explores the incidence of social trajectory on the way migrants identify themselves as francophone speakers. Analysis shows that self-identifications are not the sole result of the speakers' willingness: they also depend on their legitimacy in relation to the dominant definitions of social categories. The discourse justifying the difficulty to recognize oneself as francophone tends to vary depending on migrants' generation. While illegitimacy of proficiency in French seems to be the main concern of the first generation of migrants, it is social illegitimacy that is highlighted by those of the second generation. Results provide evidence that two conditions are necessary to achieve non-problematic self-identifications. The first is having a social trajectory free of ethnic discrimination. The second is to critically reflect on some ideological beliefs to achieve a concept of language free of ethnic connotations.