LING 540

Language Policy

H. Schiffman, Instructor

Autumn Semester

Handout on French Language Policy:
Myths and `Facts' (?) and how do we know which is which?

You can get one concise list of what the French think are important dates, milestones, and important `facts' about the French language by looking at the following list that I copied from the web. Below I take issue with some of these and interrogate them (as the post-modernists like to say).

Myth and `Reality' in French Language Policy

Important Dates, Claims Questions about claims and myths
Strasbourg Oaths, Feb. 14, 842: `birth of French Language' See also (Old High) German text and English text (bottom of this page). Who spoke what to whom? Should French be proud of this troubled birth? What legitimacy can be claimed for French occupation of this territory?
Ordonnance de Villers-Cotterets 1539: French to be used in all legal documents in France What were the boundaries of France then? How about territory added since 1539? Did V-C apply in new territory acquired after 1539?
1635-7: founding of Académie Française What was the mandate of the AF? What did it actually accomplish? Are the expectations people have of it realistic?
1694: First edition of the Fr. Academy's Dictionary How complete was this? Why do they keep working on it? Where are they in terms of finishing it?
An II, 2 thermidor Convention nationale passes law imposing the use of French in the formulation of all public acts. Ignores the law of An II, 8 pluviose, ordaining the teaching of French in all areas where French was not in use; this act 2 thermidor acc. to Bruneau added teeth to the `decret Barere' (8 pluviose)
1832: Knowing how to spell French is made compulsory (?) in order to be hired as a public employee. Total mythology; no record of any such law, decree, whatever, can be located. (cf. Catach)
19th century: the Orthography and the Grammar (?) are spread by schooling True: but which orthography? The one essentially developed during the Monarchy? The Grammar was also a residue from monarchy...
1881-1886: the Ferry Laws (les lois Jules Ferry) make public schooling free, compulsory, and non-secular True: and they implement (finally) the spelling system and the grammar ordained by the monarchy, but present it as a culminating victory of the French Republic. Notice that the Petite Grammaire des Ecoles linked here in PDF, is a modified, abbreviated version of the earlier grammar; this one was published in 1885. It is an "ouvrage extrait de la Grammaire et Compléments authorisée" by the Ministry of Public Instruction.
(No mention of any further attempts to reform the orthography) At various times (see Schiffman 1996) attempts made to reform the orthography: 1901, 1950's, 1989. Little success.
1966: decree of March 31, 1966 creating the High Commission for the Defense and Expansion of the French Language. Status Planning:
1972: Decree of Jan. 7, 1972, on the enrichment of the Fr. Lg.; provides for creation of ministerial terminological commissions to enrich French vocabulary Corpus Planning
1975: Law of 31 Dec. 1975, on the use of the French Language More status planning
1986: Decret of March 11 (enrichment), replacing law of 1972. Designates State Secretary for Francophonie status planning? Corpus planning? Symbolic acts?
1989: Decree of June 2, creating CSLF (High Commission on the French Language) replacing various previous councils and commissions Status? Corpus?
1992: The constitutional law of June 15: the language of the Republic is French Ceremonial declaration? more dirigisme ?
1993: Tricentennial of the Dictionary of the French Academy yeah, but is it finished yet?
1994 Law of August 4 (Loi Toubon), on the use of French Status planning (how much more is needed? Are we convinced yet)?

Some other resources...