Linguistic Insecurity in Academic Communication: The Case of First-Year French Students at the University of Constantine (Algeria)

Abstract

This article proposes a theoretically grounded framework for analysing linguistic insecurity in academic communication among first-year students enrolled in French-medium programmes at the University of Constantine, Algeria. Drawing on sociolinguistic scholarship on linguistic insecurity, linguistic markets, and postcolonial multilingualism, the study examines how the transition from Arabic-medium secondary education to French-medium university instruction shapes students’ perceptions of linguistic legitimacy. Through conceptual synthesis of research on Algeria’s language policy, educational structures, and language ideologies, the article identifies key dimensions of linguistic insecurity affecting oral and written academic practices. It highlights how regional origin, schooling trajectories, and family cultural capital mediate access to valued linguistic resources within the university as a stratified linguistic market. By integrating structural, ideological, and interactional perspectives, the study advances a multi-level model of linguistic insecurity in postcolonial higher education and outlines directions for future empirical investigation.