WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS NEWSLETTER FOR FREE? >> Click here
On paper, this looks like a very nice list: the Elysée; Eiffel Tower ; The national assembly ; the Calanques national park; the Louvre museum ; the cave of Lascaux 4; the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence; the city of La Ciotat; Marseille Provence airport, the Defender of Rights… A somewhat distressing enumeration, in fact, because all these institutions have in common to be or to have been the subject of proceedings for non-compliance with the Toubon law on the French language. Their initiator? Observatoire des libertés, an association whose main purpose is to defend “the freedom to express oneself in one’s own language” (1). At the end of November, the latter sent a first round of requests to some of these structures – a group shot intended to gather as much echo as possible in public opinion. A second salvo will again be launched against around fifteen other organizations at the beginning of next year.
In fact, three of the articles of the Toubon law concerning English are regularly circumvented. The first prescribes that “any inscription or announcement affixed on the public highway […] must be formulated in French” (article 3). This does not prevent the city of Nice from communicating with the slogan “I love Nice”…
The second provides that, when these inscriptions are the subject of translations, “these must be at least two in number” (article 4). A decisive provision to preserve linguistic diversity because, of course, if there is only one, it is always the most powerful language of the moment which is chosen. However, all the signage of the Louvre Museum – despite being placed under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture – is translated into English and only into English. The same goes for the information panels that surround the work on Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral, for the advertisements for the Festival of Lights in Lyon or even for the archaeological museum of Gergovie, supposed in theory to exalt the Gallic resistance against the foreign invader…
The last prohibits the granting by communities of subsidies to events that do not respect the Toubon law (article 15). Never mind, the Parisian Salon Viva Technology – with a y, of course – is overwhelmed with money generously paid by various regions, including Ile-de-France. While the city of Marseille grants aid of 60,000 euros to an association organizing an event entitled – without the slightest translation – freestyle cup.
Do not believe that the procedures initiated by Observatoire des libertés are simple strokes in the water. The association has already obtained several significant victories by forcing various renowned institutions to comply with its injunctions. Starting with… the Elysée, which purely and simply withdrew the English version from its website. That of the National Assembly was once bilingual French – English? After being threatened with being taken to court, he now uses a dozen languages. As for the signage of the Eiffel Tower, which was only translated into English, it now has a Spanish version. “The identity of a country is expressed by its language. However, Anglo-American tends to replace French as the language of use. of a colonizer diligent in imposing his values on us via his language”, comments Louis Maisonneuve, president of the Observatory of Freedoms.
The evil, in fact, seems deep. Because let us remember: it is not a question here of pointing out an access of Anglomania to which a handful of young people wishing to appear “modern” would yield, but of decisions taken by public bodies in violation of the legislation. Even the Cité internationale de la langue française in Villers-Cotterêts has erected signs translated only into English – I am not making this up. Associations had to challenge her before she decided to respect the law…
It may be time to react…
FIND VIDEOS DEDICATED TO FRENCH AND THE LANGUAGES OF FRANCE ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
(1) Contact: [email protected] or 06 76 24 24 01
READ ELSEWHERE
Sign the petition in favor of teaching literature in regional languages at school
Historians Mona Ozouf, Philippe Martel and Rémy Pech; the writers Ananda Devi, Patrick Chamoiseau, Raphaël Confiant and Didier Daeninckx; filmmaker and novelist Gérard Mordillat; linguists Philippe Blanchet and Bernard Cerquiglini; the artists Francis Cabrel, Goulamas’K, Yannick Jaulin, I Muvrini, Joan de Nadau and Alan Stivell; Deputy Paul Molac… These are some of the personalities who, alongside many academics and associations, are launching an appeal entitled “For a real place for literature in regional languages in school curricula”. Its objective: to ask the Ministry of National Education to teach systematically, alongside literature in French, the other literatures of France.
You too can sign this petition by following this link.
Identities, domination, resistance: the power of languages
This is a high quality special issue offered by The diplomatic world in its collection “Manière de voir”, dated December 2022-January 2023. Titled “The power of languages”, it offers multiple articles while resolutely defending the principle of linguistic diversity. An issue coordinated by Philippe Descamps who rightly titles his editorial: “Nightmare of the single language”.
The Marseilles language is exported
“Cagole”, “my spoiled”, “dégun”… According to researchers Mathieu Avanzi and Médéric Gasquet-Cyrus, typically Marseille terms are gaining ground in France. Here they explain why.
Discover the winners of the literature prize in Picard
The collection of the 2017 literature prize in Picard has just been published, which brings together the creations of Georges Baillet, André Leleux, Régis Lésieux, Christelle Lemaire, Gérard Platevoet and Micheline Waquet. It is on sale on the online store of the Agence régionale de la langue picarde at the price of 5 ¤.
The practice of Alsatian is declining but the measures to be taken to reverse this trend are known. This is what this book, edited by Pierre Klein, recalls, bringing together several interventions held during the Assises du bilingualisme which were held on June 28, 2022 under the aegis of the European Community of Alsace.Bilingualism in Alsace. From the causes of decline to the conditions for the renewal of a collective good with high cultural, economic and social efficiency, under the direction of Pierre Klein. Editions Fédération Alsace bilingual.
TO LISTEN
The hand of Irulegi, a major archaeological discovery on the Basque language
This 2,000-year-old bronze hand could bring new consequences to the origins of Basque, a language like no other.
TO WATCH
Where does the shape of our numbers come from?
Why does a 2 look like a 2 and an 8 looks like an 8? What if the “Arabic” numbers actually came from India? It is to these questions that this very educational video from France Culture tries to provide answers.
React, debate and find more information on the languages of France by joining me on THE FACEBOOK PAGE DEDICATED TO THIS NEWSLETTER