26.2805, Review: Discourse; Semantics; Socioling; Text/Corpus Ling: Galatanu, Cozma, Marie (2013)

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Subject: 26.2805, Review: Discourse; Semantics; Socioling; Text/Corpus Ling: Galatanu, Cozma, Marie (2013)

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Date: Mon, 08 Jun 2015 12:46:49
From: Komla Amegashie [kamegashie at albany.edu]
Subject: Sens et signification dans les espaces francophones

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/24/24-4266.html

EDITOR: Olga  Galatanu
EDITOR: Ana-Maria  Cozma
EDITOR: Virginie  Marie
TITLE: Sens et signification dans les espaces francophones
SUBTITLE: La construction discursive du concept de francophonie
SERIES TITLE: GRAMM-R. Etudes de linguistique française / GRAMM-R. Studies of French Linguistics - Volume 19
PUBLISHER: Peter Lang AG
YEAR: 2013

REVIEWER: Komla Amegashie, State University of New York at Albany

Review's Editor: Helen Aristar-Dry

SUMMARY
 
‘Sense and Meaning in the Francophone World: The Discursive Construction of
the Concept of “francophonie”’ is co-edited by Olga Galatanu, Ana-Maria Miron
Cozma and Virginia Marie published in “Gramm-R: Studies in French linguistics”
(19).

In this book the concept of “Francophonie” is studied. What does
“Francophonie” mean and how is used? What discourses feed and construct the
francophone identity?  The book brings together articles; presented at the
conference: French and the Discursive Construction of the Concept of
''francophonie'' in the French-Speaking Space held in Nantes in April 2012. It
represents diverse theories and disciplines, different perspectives and
understandings on the word F/francophonie mobilized by the speeches of its
defenders and by those of its detractors, of politicians and of the media. 
Prefaced by the co-editors, the book tackles three issues: 1) The founders and
supporters of a unified Francophone world who generate discourses of
“Francophonie”, 2) French-speakers’ identity as belonging to a
''francophonie'' and 3) Zones and collective identities in “francophonie”.
 
Olga Galatanu, in her: “Introduction to the Study of the Concept and the
Lexical meaning of francophonie”, finds in the discursive construction of the
concept, the designation of a social object and proposes to locate cultural
and institutional “f/Francophone” zones, and the collective francophone and/or
Francophone identities by defining the concepts “francophonie” and
“Francophonie”. The first is a set of linguistic communities or people
speaking French or even a socio-political movement in defense of French
language and its culture; the second is more a socio-political, economic,
cultural, and scientific zone whose members sometimes share a common history
or simply share values and cultures related to the French language, social and
political francophone contenders of francophone zones within the Francophone
world. “Francophonie” is a concept in continuous reconstruction, whose new and
voluntary construction by political and ideological theorists is the
“Francophonie” which is analyzed through Semantics of Argumentative
Possibilities, a description model of lexical meaning capable of accounting as
well for the representations of the world perceived and ''modeled'' by the
language as of the “argumentative potential'' of the words, potential that the
pragmatic environment of the utterance or the context of the speech can
activate, and even enhance, weaken, neutralize or even invert. In regard to
the construction or the reconstruction of F/francophonie, the analysis is
based on multiple convergent and divergent senses of words, discourses, and
the “power of the verb” in the construction of both concepts: French-speaking
identities and Francophone zone.  The analysis of different definitions and
meanings of the concept given or imposed by the founding and supporting
discourses, on the one hand, and by detractors on the other, allow one to see
the foundational role of the French language on identities within the
francophone zones and the way both identities and francophone zones function.
The question debated is: how is the word F/francophonie discursively
constructed?
 
 
Part One: The concept of “francophonie” and its foundational discourses and
the advocates of the French-speaking zones.
 
Four articles analyze the foundational discourses of the organization called 
“Francophonie” and the French-speaking identity built around France and its
language, as well as the history of the ideological and linguistic feats
referenced by the organization.
 
1.      ''Constructing the Identity of Francophonie in the Opening Speeches of
the Francophone Summits” by Anne-Laure Camus.
 
The author analyzes the discursive construction of ''Francophonie''. She makes
a thematic and lexical reading of the supportive speeches and emphasizes the
affective and evaluative word choices and the value systems that abound in the
founding speeches, the opening speeches at francophone summits and the
dialogues with French-speakers. Is there a francophone identity? If so, what
common characteristics describe it? From the analysis, it appears that the
identity builds itself in the course of the opening speeches that connect
“f/Francophonie” with the colonial history in order to justify the
French-speaking common identity. Quoting speeches of summits of the
International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF), she justifies her
assertion by the references to a colonial history that is painful but unifying
for the peoples of a common language. However, the countries referred to as
“Francophonie”, do not all have a common language, and therefore the
fundamental principle of linguistic unity becomes a pretext. Thus the speech
changes and embraces the diversity of peoples no longer bound by language but
by a common colonial history referred to as an ''identity base ''. Discourses
of linguistic unity shift towards discourses of ''the unity in the diversity''
from 1995 and characterize the present day Organization, which groups
countries of different regions and populations, different ethnicities and
cultures, but also different languages, around the common values of freedom,
democracy etc. “Francophonie” is built on different ideas sometimes
contradictory to its foundation. 
 
2-      “The Semiotics of Francophonie” by Jean Pierre Fewou Ngouloure
 
Through the meaning of “La Francophonie”, the author wants to give the sense
that carries this concept since for him the semantic essence of “Francophonie”
constitutes a process of interruptions. He distinguishes “Francophonie” as an
organization and “francophonie” as a concept. The former is the community
represented by the IOF; the latter is tied to language and refers to people
speaking French. However, many see in the former a return of the political
domination of France, perpetuating colonial history through an organization
whose foundation was French language and culture. This represents a linguistic
francophonie born from a historical francophonie with different perceptions
and meanings even within the same geographical areas. Northern Francophonie
refers to countries that speak French as a native language and share with
France an equal relationship and a defense of the language. However, the
French language is an official, institutional language in most countries of
the southern Francophonie. “Francophonie” does not have the same meaning even
within itself. It is neither a homogeneous organization nor a uniform concept
but simply a “sign” with multiple “signifiers” which only context can clarify.
 
3-      “The Concept of “francophonie” in French Media in 2007 and 2009” by
Delphine Giuliani
 
The concept of francophonie is analyzed through media discourses during two
elections periods in France (2007 and 2009). To reach her goal, the author
develops a lexical prototype related to the words “francophone” and
“Francophonie” used in the media in France during two months, to show the
positive meaning of the adjective “francophone in the French media. The author
studies how the concept of “Francophonie” is constructed and deconstructed.
The comparison shows that the adjective “francophone” refers to cultural,
economic and political contexts. It is associated with knowledge and carries a
positive connotation expressed by cultural, academic, and economic exchanges
etc, while “Francophonie,” although a potential bearer of active meanings, is
not free of controversy and contradictions.
 
4-      “The Francophone Pathos: Argument and Emotions around Francodoxie'' by
François Provenzano
 
The institutional discourses of “Francophonie” are analyzed here as
representations that do not acknowledge a fact but suggest a vision on
“francophonie”. According to the author, “francophonie” is built on a
''francodoxie '', and designates any process which is inspired to evoke
Francophonie and is characterized by phobias. Speeches are still under
analysis, with the focus on the arguments and emotions of the speakers as well
as those of the audience. It is clear that the speeches are trying more to
prove, propose and orient visions of the French language and all that rotates
around it. The founding speeches show fear of the linguistic hegemony of
English, labeled as the Anglo-Saxon invasion. “Francophonie” is then a
counterweight to that invasion and to English, and thus enhances the purity of
French language which English soils. The staining of French, the language of
the Enlightenment and of universal civilization, implies the darkness and the
death of humanist values. The founders of “Francophonie” make ample use of
appeal to the emotions of the listeners. They advocated a common struggle for
a new, humanistic world with a new balance and equity between peoples and
cultures. The author finds arguments of flattery within the discourses that
reveal the anxiety and the threat of French language’s destruction that the
advocates of “Francophonie” attempt to combat. 

 
Part Two: French Language and Francophone Identities
The five articles in this part discuss identities tied to the representations
and uses of French language.
 
1-      “The avatars of war and solar metaphor in the discourses of “La
Francophonie”” by Romuald Berty
 
This contribution shows that the construction of “Francophonie” is marked out
by avatars of conflict between endogenous languages ​​and French, the dominant
language which is imposed upon the former. The author starts from the
Renaissance to illustrate the genealogy of the struggle of French with Latin.
The influence of French, which distinguishes the French national identity, is
the same camouflaged struggle advocated in the attempt to bind and assimilate 
French language and nation to the Francophone identity. Francophonie is simply
a linguistic imperialism born at the end of colonial imperialism in which
France was the core around which revolved other ''peripheries,'' territories
considered as children of its conquests. These children fight not only to
impose their French-speaking identities within “Francophonie” “as a fight for
the cultural prestige of France” but also to defend the existence of the
French language.
 
2-      “What Does it Mean to be a French-Speaker in Canada?” By Annette
Boudreau
 
>From an oral and written corpus, the author analyzes the importance of French
and the representation of its use by French Canadians. The multiple meanings
of “Francophonie” among French-speakers are manifested here by loyalty to the
term “Francophonie” whether they are French, African, Canadian or other. This
term is often meaningless, or at most has a negative connotation among the
African French-speakers; it is a parameter for identification among French
Canadians, especially Acadians in New Brunswick (a bilingual province that is
the subject of this article). Among Acadians, ''Francophone'' refers to a
stage of proficiency in the use of French; it has a positive connotation as
compared to Acadian French or Acadia. The term Francophone in French Canada
refers to a social category based on the form of French spoken. The status of
francophone is linked to the use of the language of France, which is valued
more than Acadian French (''chiac''). The author of this article sees in this
attitude a linguistic insecurity of Acadians. 

The corpus reveals, at least among the informants, a contradiction in the
principle of ''diversity'' of “Francophonie”. By trying to erase any cultural
or linguistic distinctions, they use “francophone” to show their desire to
melt into a homogeneity which denies any form of heterogeneity. 

3-      “Representations of Francophonie among Future Teachers of French as
Foreign Language in Vietnamese Universities'' by Phuong Lan Nguyen-Percher and
Ngoc Lam Dinh
 
Defining modalisation as the process of registering the attitude of the
speaker to the content of his statement and its function in the modification
of his relationship with the recipient, and modality as the linguistic form of
expressing this attitude, the authors want to study modalisation and modality
among Vietnamese French teachers. They focus on the representations of French
language and the f/Francophonie through the discourses of future teachers of
French as a Foreign Language in Vietnam.

Discussing “Modal value,'' which is the linguistic result of modalisation
process, they state that the francophone identity is collective and based on
membership in an organization that shares positive and pragmatic values among
its members. A zone of identification is formed by a group of countries with
different languages, but united by history, heritage and a common vision of
the world. They propose a reinforcement of “Francophonie” and French in
Vietnam. However, their enthusiasm does not prevent them from expressing their
concerns about the contradictions of the Organization.  
 
4-      “Identity Reconfigurations a Necessary Step in the Usage of French
Language?” by Anne-Christel Zeiter
 
Using a corpus constituted by written and oral biographies of a bilingual
female speaker (of Hispanic origin married to a French-speaker) living in
Switzerland, the author of this article analyzes the group’s role in the
informant’s use of French and studies how one’s primary identity is
constructed and reconfigured in a linguistic community. Being a member of a
linguistic group increases the usage of a language. The informant’s language
choice comes from the fact that she lives with a Frenchman but also has formed
a new identity by belonging to a francophone community. Identity and the
linguistic appropriation are related.
 
5-      “Representations of la Francophonie in Moldova” by Virginia Marie
 
The author examines the construction of francophone identities in Moldova, a
non-French-speaking country. She semantically analyzes prototypes and
categories of speeches by ten Moldovan students. Defining “Francophonie” and
Francophilia from dictionaries, the author finds in these words a congruence
of terms relevant to French and France. Her informants represent
“Francophonie” through stereotypical discursive associations that show the
assertion of an identity as part of a social self-realization and of
professional success. Francophilia is associated with love and freedom as well
as attributes of equality, civilization, knowledge and international ties
related to France. These semantic representations display positive axiological
values, aesthetic, ethical and moral values as well as pragmatic, hedonic,
cultural, emotional and intellectual values. The speeches bear a deep
affection for the culture and the language. Thus, Francophiles work for an
expansion of the Francophone Zone.
 
Part Three: The Construction of Collective Spaces and Identities in
Francophonie.
Four articles address this final part.
 
1-      ''The AIU in the Francophone Zone: Rights, Humanism and Education” by
James Archibald
 
The author analyzes the discourses on the “Alliance Israélite Universelle”, a
Jewish cultural and educational zone creating both a French and Jewish
identity. The Alliance, established in 1860, is a Paris-based International
Jewish Organization that safeguards the  rights of Jews and promotes the
ideology of Jewish self-defense and sufficiency through education.  It has
satellites in Canada, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland, and is
intended to give instruction in French to the Jewish community abroad. The
Universal Israeli Alliance finds in the French language a way, not just to be
Jewish, but to be a useful Jew for the nation of Israel. The promotion of the
language masks the expansion of Judaism over secularism. However, this
secularization finds a new identity that is built on the modernity and
openness within Francophonie. By funding French teaching, the Alliance has a
way to train Jewish citizens and leaders with moral and humanistic values.
 
2-      “Speeches and Acts, The Creation of the Francophone Educational Zone”
by  Jean -Pierre Cuq
 
The article shows the importance of school in the construction of francophone
identities.  Where non-didactic discourse is introduced in French language
teaching, educational actors, especially teachers, transmit francophone
identities in “Francophonie”. Although the language itself is unique, multiple
identities are formed, even among those who teach with different methods.
However, French and other languages currently defines the didactics to be
followed by the teachers whose designations (second language, foreign language
etc) do not affect the discourses and the construction of collective
identities. 

Traditional grammar is always present in their teaching of French. The school
then becomes a place of individual and collective actions where French
teachers become transmitters of varieties of French while defining their
membership to institutions such as the International Federation of Teachers of
French around the goals and values of their profession and the language.
“Francophonie” is not only geopolitical but didactic because, in every
classroom, where interactions between learners and teachers of French take
place, a francophone space is created.
 
 
3-      “The Concept of a Second Language in Francophonie and its Validity in
non-Francophone Context: The Example of Galicia” by Carlos Valcarcel Riveiro
and Laura Pino Serrano
 
This article demonstrates that the construction of collective identities
depends on the collective representations of the language in Galicia.  It
attempts to assess the relevance of the concept of second language in the
Galician educational context with a representative corpus of writings by
educated youth 5 to 29 years old. In Galicia (Community of Northwest Spain)
where Spanish and Galician are the two co-official languages of education,
most young people have learned either Spanish or Galician as a second language
but with a slight preference for Spanish. 

Galician is dominant in the urban environments and Spanish in the rural areas
while the peripheral municipalities opt for bilingualism. The use of Spanish
among participants is increasing even though Galician is the most studied
second language in the schools. The linguistic policy promoting Galician, and
its recent standardization, encourage bilingualism, especially among young
people, although Spanish has become the preferred language of trade.
Evaluation of the linguistic competence of urban youth shows that most
Galicians feel more comfortable writing in Spanish.The Second Language is the
original language of the entire school population of Galician origin, yet this
language suffers from a lack of policy initiatives and teacher training.
Second Language policies unsuccessful in Galicia and should be reformulated
through a review of the multilingual context of Galicia.
 
4-      ''Francophonie Told by Those who Practice It: The Case of Certain
Polish Students'' by Benedicte Leduc Penot
 
This article analyzes the construction of a f/Francophone space as expressed
in and by the discourses of non-native speakers. For the author, as for many
others, “Francophonie” is a complex object. It is a representation in official
and institutional discourses as well as in ordinary discourses of individuals
claiming to be francophone. Their discourses do not give a unified, common
representation. The corpus collected by the author from individual and group
interviews with students of different levels in Roman philology at the
University at Torun in Poland in 2012, allows her to say that there is a
distance between the meanings of the concept of “Francophonie”: the linguistic
meaning, the geographic perspective, the institutional sense and the spiritual
and mystical meaning. The students have a current and reformulated
representation of “Francophonie” which they associate with a set of
francophone cultures, a group of countries where ''French'' is spoken and a
community with common axiological values, objectives and visions. However, all
do not share the same vision, even if all seem to know the francophone ideal.
“Francophonie” is first and foremost a creation in relation to French language
and France. French culture is always highlighted. Some students combined
French language with specific universal values, but exclude sharing those
values with French-speaking countries outside of France. The presence of
France’s culture in “Francophonie” is officially serving the purpose of
providing access to Universal Ideals, but also is a defense against
Anglo-Saxon and English expansion.  

EVALUATION
 
Through many different points of view and lexical approaches, this book shows
that f/Francophone identities are built and rebuilt through many intersecting
discourses. ‘Francophone space’ refers to the social groupings designated by
the word “F/francophonie”, including the members that self-identify as part of
this geopolitical and linguistic community. With each member attempting to
build meaning into the concept through discourse, “Francophonie” can only be
polysemic. The book shows the plural identities that are found in the
francophone world and can nourish other scientific reflections on the
organization called “La Francophonie.”


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Graduated with MA in French, I am a Ph D student at University at Albany. My
research is in Second Language Acquisition, Lexicology and Lexicography.





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