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<TITLE>Re: French Academy sees linguistic diversity endangering national identity</TITLE>
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21/06/08 06:17, « Dennis Baron » <<a href="debaron@illinois.edu">debaron@illinois.edu</a>> scripsit :<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="1"><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:8.5pt'>French Academy sees linguistic diversity endangering national identity<BR>
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Right after the French Academy strongly denounced a constitutional revision recognizing linguistic diversity as part of France’s heritage, the French Senate voted <<a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/06/19/le-senat-refuse-d-inscrire-les-langues-regionales-dans-la-constitution_1060100_823448.html">http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/06/19/le-senat-refuse-d-inscrire-les-langues-regionales-dans-la-constitution_1060100_823448.html</a>> 2-to-1 to kill the measure.<BR>
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Article 1 of the French Constitution defines France as an indivisible, secular, democratic republic. On May 22, the French National Assembly voted all-but-unanimously – there was one negative vote – to modify that formula by adding the nation’s many local languages to the short list of constitutionally-protected civic virtues: “[France’s] regional languages belong to its patrimony.” ....<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14pt'>I really would prefer to have on this list a more sensible and scientific approach to the complex problem of minority languages in France.<BR>
Writing e. g. that “speakers of Yiddish were simply deported” when speaking Yiddish instead of French is nonsense !<BR>
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It is true that during the XIXth century, the French government and especially The “ Education Nationale” set up a policy to promote standard French, seen as the language of progress and national identity and unity, and to eradicate minority languages.<BR>
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Nowadays however, some progress has been made on this question and minority languages are fully recognized as a part of French culture: <BR>
“Le français est le bien de tous, et, notons-le, pour la première fois dans l’histoire de notre pays, il est parlé de tous; l’Etat se reconnaît toutefois une responsabilité envers l’ensemble de son patrimoine linguistique, qu’il s’agisse de la langue officielle, des langues régionales, ou des langues sans assise territoriale.” Cerquiglini, Bernard, Michel Alessio, and Jean Sibille. Les langues de France. Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 2003: p. 9<BR>
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Finally, one must never forget that those who defend and promote minority languages have an hidden political agenda. In France separatism and the defense of minority languages are often linked. (on this question, cf. the interview given by senator Jean-Luc Mélenchon: <a href="http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine/2008/06/13/01006-20080613ARTWWW00422-les-langues-regionales-dans-la-constitution-.php">http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine/2008/06/13/01006-20080613ARTWWW00422-les-langues-regionales-dans-la-constitution-.php</a><BR>
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JR<BR>
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</SPAN><SPAN STYLE='font-size:7.5pt'><B>Dr Reisdoerfer Joseph, hdr<BR>
Affiliation:</B> Professeur à l'Athénée grand-ducal; Professeur associé à<BR>
l’Université du Luxembourg<BR>
<B>Adresse:</B> 60, rue de la Chapelle, L-9513 Wiltz Grand-Duché de Luxembourg<BR>
<B>Tél & Fax:</B> 352 552004; 352 552001<BR>
<B>Courriel:</B> <a href="joseph.resisdoerfer@ci.rech.lu">joseph.resisdoerfer@ci.rech.lu</a><BR>
<B>Pagina domestica:</B> <BR>
<a href="http://web.mac.com/charleselie1/iWeb/JR%20/Pagina%20domestica.html">http://web.mac.com/charleselie1/iWeb/JR%20/Pagina%20domestica.html</a><BR>
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