Every country that acquires freedom and establishes its independence faces the problem of the identification of the official and the national languages. As a rule, the choice requires careful consideration as the selected languages are to be fit for both the social and the governmental interests.
Basing on the careful study of the provided facts about the Lopongo’s language environment, one can suggest preserving the French language as the national and the official one. The Lapunga language is also recommended to be included in the list of the Lopongo’s national languages. Therefore, the French language is supposed to be used for the purposes of the authorities’ activity likewise within the country and for the international cooperation. Both French and Lapunga are to represent the national identity and unity; they are to be taught in schools so that all the representatives of the Lopongo’s population have a good command of them.
The choice of the French language as the official one is not random but is motivated by a number of reasons and current conditions. First of all, as a newly established country, Lopongo does not possess enough resources to perform an extensive translating activity, thus the assignation of the French language as the official one spares Lopongo from the troubles of translating all the legal documentation.
Secondly, the French language is spoken by the representatives of various social classes in Lopongo, including the upper and the middle one. Hence, its area of usage is already relatively vast. Moreover, French is an existing aspect of the schooling system. It means that the relevant educational programs have been already worked out, and the reformation of this field is unnecessary. The selection of the Lapunga language as one of the national languages is also well grounded and reasoned. To begin with, it is a standardized language that is also taught in schools. Lapunga is the language of numerous literature works that are of high significance for the Lopongo’s culture.
Thence, Lapunga’s acquiring the status of the national language contributes to the preservation of the ethnic heritage. Furthermore, Lapunga has a lot of common traits with the Lapagawi language, which means the speakers of one can easily understand the speakers of the other. It is important as sixty percent of the Lopongo’s population knows Lapagawi, and numerous folk works are written in this language. The similarity between Lapagawi and Lapunga is likely to facilitate the process of social integration in the new linguistic context. Finally, the president of Lopongo and his cabinet speak both French and Lapunga, which is one of the determinant factors for choosing them as the national and official languages.
The special status of French and Lapunga does not imply the neglect of other languages spoken in the relevant territory. While French and Lapunga’s promotion is supposed to be carried out via the compulsory school education and the Mass Media activity, the preservation of other languages can be organized by special measures taken in the regions where they are spoken. Thus, these regions are to be enabled to include their local languages in the school educating programs as the optional subjects. Besides, the authorities are to encourage regional cultural activity aimed at saving the local language environment. This activity can be performed in the forms of festivals, conferences, literature contests and other arrangements integrating local languages.