23

in this way would almost certainly degenerate to something approaching the pidgin English of the West Coast.

THe CHArRMAN: This question has been thoroughly ventilated in discussion, and the Conference appears to be satisfied that there is no necessity to develop any language of intercommunication (lingua franca) as a literary language at present in the Southern Sudan.

When Arabic was under discussion the point was brought out that it existed in the area not only as a lingua franca, but in certain districts as the vernacular of a community.

ARCHDEACON SHAW stressed the point strongly that in such districts it was necessary to use Arabic as the medium of instruction in the elementary schools in order to find a method of approach to these communities. He referred to a decision arrived at at a meeting in Khartoum in 1927 that whereas schools might be provided for these Arabic-speaking areas, boys should not be admitted to such schools if a school was available in which their own mother tongue was taught.

There was general agreement on the part of the Conference that the group language system should be adopted, and the CHarRMAN proposed that on the followmg day the Conference should break up into Committees to draw up lists of languages for this purpose ; to report on the applicability of the proposed orthography; and to suggest an alphabet for each group.

THIRD DAY.—Wednesday, 11th April.

Morninac.

The terms of reference for the Language Committees were passed as under :—

Terms of Reference for Language Committees.

(1) To check and complete the list of languages and dialects circulated and the number of people speaking each and to complete the information with reference to areas outside the Sudan.

(2) To consider whether all the languages and dialects comprised in each group can be served by one literary language and if so, to select the most suitable, and if not to suggest which others are required.

(3) To consider the Memorandum of the International Institute of African Languages and Cultures with reference to the discussion which has taken place and to report on its applicability to the languages included in the group. An alphabet for the languages concerned should be drawn up by the Committee.

Tue CHAIRMAN asked Mr. Roome to give information to any Committee desiring it as to the distribution and numbers outside the Sudan of any of the tribes concerned.

The rest of the morning was devoted to Committee work.

AFTERNOON.

Devoted to Committee work.