Langue maternelle, langue ancestral: un paradoxe linguistique

This article deals with the implications of Aboriginal communicative norms and interaction patterns on the development of linguistic competence in Aboriginal students, with special attention to the behavioral norm of noninterference in their interactions with others. More specifically, this paper argues that many Aboriginal students for whom English is their mother tongue find themselves in a similar situation as ESL learners insofar as they communicate and interact in ways that are consistent with their ancestral language. Drawing on ethnographic research with Aboriginal communities, this article outlines the sociolinguistic difficulties that many Aboriginal people encounter in their relationships with dominant culture researchers as well as teachers. This article stresses the need to recognize the development of dual linguistic competence in Aboriginal students, thereby contributing to their educational success.Cet article porte sur la specificite des normes communicatives et interactionnelles amerindiennes. En particulier, cet article soutient l'idee selon laquelle de nombreux etudiants Amerindiens dont l'Anglais est la langue maternelle se retrouvent en fait en situation d'etudiants d'Anglais langue etrangere, dans la mesure ou ils communiquent en reference aux normes communicatives et interactionnelles de leur langue ancestrale. A travers des temoignages de recherche effectuees en milieu amerindien sur le principe de non-ingerence dans leur relations 11 autrui, cet article vise 11 traduire les difficultes sociolinguistiques auxquelles de nombreux Amerindiens doiventfa ireface dans leurs relations tant avec les chercheurs qu'avec leurs enseignants de culture dominante. Cet article defend l'idee du developpement d'une double competence linguistique facilitant le succes scolaire des etudiants amerindiens tout en respectant Ie mode de communiquer de leur langue ancestrale