The case did not make headlines; the defenders of freedom have not mobilized and, to my knowledge, BHL is not preparing any film on the subject. And yet… Last summer, the French government received a scathing missive from the United Nations Human Rights Council, after a complaint by the European network of regional languages ELEN. Here is an excerpt: “We fear that the adoption and application of this decision could lead to significant violations of the human rights of linguistic minorities in France.”
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“This decision” ? That of the Constitutional Council declaring in 2021 contrary to the fundamental law certain articles of the Molac law for the promotion of regional languages. And in particular that aimed at extending to public education the so-called “immersive” education – in which a majority of lessons take place in Occitan, Breton, Basque, etc. Eh yes ! Although it is often ignored in France, the protection of linguistic rights is indeed a human right. Numerous international texts attest to this – starting with article 2 of the Universal Declaration of the same name : “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms proclaimed in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, including race, color, sex, of languagereligion, political opinion or any other opinion, national or social origin, wealth, birth or any other situation.” But there are many others, with binding value, and in particular those- this :
• UN, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 26 : “The law […] guarantees to all persons equal and effective protection against any discrimination based in particular on race, colour, sex, languagereligion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, wealth, birth or other status” (article ratified by France in 1980).
• Council of Europe, European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 14 “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized in this Convention must be ensured, without distinction of any kind, based in particular on sex, race, colour, languagereligion, political opinions or any other opinions, national or social origin, membership of a national minority, wealth, birth or any other status” (article ratified by France).
• European Union, European Charter of Fundamental Rights, Article 21 : “Is prohibited, any discrimination based in particular on the sex, the race, the color, the ethnic or social origins, the genetic characteristicslanguage, religion or beliefs, political opinions or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, wealth, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation” (binding charter for all Member States since 2007).
We could still go on with this list, but let’s get to the point. “For the Council of State, international treaties have a higher value than that of a law. The ratification of these texts therefore has legal and even constitutional value”, as sociolinguist Philippe Blanchet points out. It therefore remains to understand why they are not applied in France.
The answer lies in the very curious way that the French State has of conceiving the Nation. In the republican tradition, in fact, there is supposed to be only one people, the French people, whose unity has constitutional value. In any case, this is what the Council of the same name affirmed in 1999 when refusing to ratify the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. According to him, this fundamental principle “opposes the recognition of collective rights for any group whatsoever”.
Centralizing reasoning
It is an understatement to say that this very unique vision is not shared by our neighbours. In Italyfor example, the linguistic rights of minorities have, on the contrary, been enshrined since 1948 among the fundamental principles of the Constitution: “The Republic protects linguistic minorities by special standards” (article 6). In Swiss, “the national languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh.” (section 4) while “the cantons determine their official languages.” (article 70) – a system which, transposed in France, would give Alsatian an official status in Alsace, as well as for Corsican in Corsica, Basque in the Basque Country, etc. Even in Morocco, which does not pass for a model in terms of human rights, the fundamental law is thus drafted (article 5). “Arabic remains the official language of the State […]. Likewise, Amazigh constitutes an official language of the State, as a common heritage for all Moroccans without exception. “In the majority of states in the world, broad recognition of multilingualism is the rule”, summarizes Philippe Blanchet.
This is why thehe reasoning of the Constitutional Council can be considered as outrageously centralizing. Indeed, since every individual has the capacity to be bilingual, there is no reason to assert that a people must necessarily be monolingual, as noted by the collective “Justice for our languages”. There is also nothing to suggest that the French people would cease to exist if a group within it enjoyed collective rights. And it takes a high-flying rhetorician to argue that equality consists in reserving to French-speakers alone the possibility of using their first language everywhere – while depriving Alsatians, Basques, Catalans, Reunionese and others…
Conclusion ? There is a confusion here between integration and assimilation. Certainly, in any society, a certain degree of integration is necessary. On the other hand, this should not be pushed too far in order to respect everyone’s cultural rights. “The protection of minorities aims to ensure that integration does not turn into unwanted integration”, writes the UN. Such is however the case in France where, in fact, it is a policy of assimilation that has been pursued for decades, to the point of threatening the survival of all the so-called regional languages of mainland France.
The observations of the international institution to the French government should not, however, give too much hope to lovers of cultural diversity. As harsh as they are, in fact, they will not change anything on the legal level insofar as the institution has no power of coercion. Symbolically, on the other hand, the case is obviously annoying for a Nation which wants to be the “country of the rights of Man”.
FIND VIDEOS DEDICATED TO FRENCH AND THE LANGUAGES OF FRANCE ON my youtube channel
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The Republic and languagesby Michel Launay
In a major and very solidly argued work, Michel Launay denounces the ideological drifts which, “out of ignorance, misinterpretation, or nationalist impulses”, distort representations of languages - particularly in France. The linguist pleads for a positive approach to bilingualism, synonymous with intellectual curiosity and openness to others.
The Republic and languages, by Michel Launay. Editions Reasons to act.
A petition to save L’Estivadaone of the most important Occitan festivals
L’Estivada is the name of one of the biggest Occitan festivals. For years, it has been one of the most beautiful showcases of minority languages and cultures. Its abolition, recently announced by the town hall of Rodez, provokes strong emotion. Support him by signing this petition.
Occitan capes: the ministry reduces the number of positions
Since 2004 the certificate of aptitude was open for four positions per year. From now on, it will be three, which provokes the anger of teachers and defenders of cultural diversity.
Say “dialoguer” and no chatbot
This is the suggestion of the commission for the enrichment of the French language to designate this software specialized in natural language conversation with humans. The famous ChatGPT, which is based on deep learning, offers one of the most spectacular examples.
Montreal students call for inclusive writing
They demand to see this new form of writing accepted by all teachers.
Conference in Quimper on February 10: “Save regional languages”
At the invitation of Kevre Breizh, associative cultural coordination of Brittany, I will have the pleasure of presenting my latest book Save regional languages (Héliopoles Editions) this Friday, February 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pierre-Jakez Hélias university center in Quimper, in amphitheater A 001 (free entry). I will also be signing this book the next day, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, at the Ravy bookstore, 10 rue de la Providence, still in Quimper.
TO LISTEN
La Loupe de l’Express: how will we learn spelling tomorrow?
What if tomorrow we said goodbye to the dictation of our grandparents? How about learning to write well with your phone or getting a degree in spelling? These may be solutions to deal with the increase in mistakes in French at school. Listen to this surprising episode of “La Loupe”, the daily audio program of L’Express.
TO WATCH
When Nolwenn Korbell responds to Michel Onfray
The Norman intellectual compared regional languages to “a tribal device” and “an anti-universalist war machine”. The Breton artist Nolwenn Korbell answers her here with a strong and moving speech, which she closes with quotations in German from Bertolt Brecht. Where we understand that closed-mindedness is not where some people think it is (go to 58″ to hear the beginning of the speech in French).
Quebec: a video campaign of French imperative
This cultural research and communication organization dedicated to promoting the French language has just launched a promotional campaign to promote our language in Quebec.
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