Leiden University Student Repository

Hofstee, Peter (2014)

Ici, on parle Franglais: French government policies on the use of English and their effects on the acquisition of English

Bachelor thesis | Engelse taal en cultuur (BA)

The increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic case of language planning and language policy, and even today many of the measures are still in place as to ensure that the usage of English is kept to a minimum. This thesis investigates the attempts by the French government to limit the use of English in the public domain, and asks the question whether these attempts have an impact on the acquisition of English as a second language in France. By examining not only the historical origins of France’s language management, but also the current dissemination of opinions and attitudes in the media, it can be concluded that many of the negative effects emanating from the government measures, such as relatively low English proficiency, are the result of France’s unchanged linguistic culture predating the French Revolution that continues to fuel...Show moreThe increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic case of language planning and language policy, and even today many of the measures are still in place as to ensure that the usage of English is kept to a minimum. This thesis investigates the attempts by the French government to limit the use of English in the public domain, and asks the question whether these attempts have an impact on the acquisition of English as a second language in France. By examining not only the historical origins of France’s language management, but also the current dissemination of opinions and attitudes in the media, it can be concluded that many of the negative effects emanating from the government measures, such as relatively low English proficiency, are the result of France’s unchanged linguistic culture predating the French Revolution that continues to fuel France’s language policy today.Show less

sociolinguistics

second language acquisition

language policy

EFL

language attitudes

Author

Hofstee, Peter

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Foster, Tony

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en