Prospects of Fulfulde as a Regional Language in a Socioculturally Heterogeneous Region in Cameroon

This chapter addresses the possibility of selecting and raising Fulfulde as a regional language in the Far North based on the region’s complex linguistic diversity. It argues that a regional language can be considered on the basis of the speakers’ linguistic perceptions. Data was obtained through a 12-item questionnaire administered to a random selection of 215 respondents from some localities of the region. The results revealed that the majority 170 (79%) of the respondents preferred Fulfulde to be elevated as a regional language in the region. The different reasons provided following the analysis tend to show that Fulfulde is the most geographically successful language in terms of spread in the region and in Cameroon. The study’s findings are crucial to the language planning policy in Cameroon following results from other studies. Granted that Fulfulde is the preferred language for most respondents, increased efforts should be made for its empowerment and visibility alongside all the region’s minority languages.