African History Commons^™

Quels Écrivains Francophones Pour Quelles Normes ?, Daniel Delas

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

With the benefit of historical hindsight, the rise of endogenous linguistic norms, justified in literary practices, can be reassessed. The firstg eneration of African writers such as Camara Laye and Léopold Sédar Senghor, because of their normative educational background, favoured exogenous French standards in their writing. Yet, Kourouma’s fiction is a turning point which initiated new literary practices, borrowing much from ordinary ways of speaking. Does it mean that French in Africa now follows endogenous norms? Without vouching for it, one can at least state the importance of recognizing African literature in French as a major form of expression.