future of French language?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

because 'courriel' for email just sounds elitist.

[Traianvs]

POTM has just selected her high school language. She picked Japanese. She and her friends think its cool. She considered Russian which was pushed by the Russian club, but decided against it. Of course Spanish is still the default language taken by most kids. But, from what POTM says, hardly anyone is taking French.
Chinese is now being offered, but POTM wasnt interested.

You can learn Chinese, Japanese and Russian in high school???
amazing...

Originally posted by bipolarbear

I think what you are missing though is the decline in people taking Latin. That is still incredibly useful but noone really cares.

Very true. Even more important is that the quality of latin education is deteriorating as well

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by GePap

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm

Acording to this site, 381 Million people worldwide speak French (France plus ex-empire). I think the language will survive fine on its own somehow.

Unless theyre counting every single citizen of a francophone country in Africa as a french speaker I dont know how they get that number.

What percentage of Chadians can actually speak French with any fluency? Of Congolese (either Congo)?

[Nostromo]

because 'courriel' for email just sounds elitist.

I think we invented that one. More and more people are using it here. So its bound to sound less and less 1337.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Traianvs


You can learn Chinese, Japanese and Russian in high school???
amazing...

this is an elite sci-tech school "a governors school" The choice of languages is somewhat wider than at other high schools around here. And they only just introduced Chinese.

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



Unless theyre counting every single citizen of a francophone country in Africa as a french speaker I dont know how they get that number.

What percentage of Chadians can actually speak French with any fluency? Of Congolese (either Congo)?

Most Congolese speak French iirc, but their accent makes outsiders think they don't master it very well.

[Gangerolf]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


IIRC, France has an official committee that oversees the French language. That's one reason it's pronounced exactly like it's spelled (unlike English).

I don't think so..? What with all those silent letters etc

[Kuciwalker]

Actually, the base schools in the area also offer many languages. My base school, Oakton, offers French, German, Latin, Spanish, Japanese, and American Sign Language. There's also the option to bus to another school to do IB Chinese, and bus somewhere else to do Korean.

edit: re:lotm

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Zevico
A question--is the limitation on the "official" French language a good thing or a bad thing? Does it stifle it? Or is it fine as it is?

http://www.academie-francaise.fr/

The Académie does not establish stifling limitations, it establishs (and adapts) a norm called "le bon usage" which is recorded in a dictionary.
I believe that all writers, even simple posters, feel sometimes the need of a dictionary which is an help for not being limited in expressing their thoughs.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
IIRC, France has an official committee that oversees the French language. That's one reason it's pronounced exactly like it's spelled (unlike English).

It's not really like that.
1. Spelling and pronounciation aren't exactly streamlined in French, even though it's much less horrendous than in English. French remains a language where the question "how do you spell it?" is relevant.

2. The committee's authority is only recognized by the French institutions (and maybe by the EU, I'm not sure). Nobody is forced to speak French in the fashion suggested by the Académie Française.
I'd also like to note that the French rap scene (one of the most dynamic cultural scene in France currently) invents new words by the zillion. These words generally come from mundane French, with twists added to them (from Arabic-African language, from English, or simply by twisting the fabric of the word).

But this committee opposes the Englishfication of the French language and has banned such words as "le pullover" and "le Big Mac."

Not exactly. There are laws about the use of language, but they have a limited application. Basically:
- All education must be provided in French, except for teaching other languages.
- All official papers (both in the company and with the administration) must be at least in French. This doesn't bar from translating the documents in other languages.
- Internal communication within a company must be in French. No employee should be at a disadvantage in internal communication for not knowing a foreign language.
- All audiovisual content (including ads) in a foreign language must be translated, either in the form of a dub or a subtitle. This doesn't apply to thing that are "intended to be aired in a foreign language", like music.
- Meetings occuring in France must allow its participants to speak French if they want to.

This law doesn't correspond at all to the Orwellian nightmare many Yanks imagine when they hear about "language laws". Our speech isn't monitored against big bad English (or just non-Académie) words

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
What percentage of Chadians can actually speak French with any fluency? Of Congolese (either Congo)?

I can't tell for these countries, but virtually every young urban Malian speaks French nowadays. Mali props up French as a way to use a common language in a country that has many, and as a way to successfully communicate with the rest of the world (there are many more foreigners that speak French than Bambara)

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Spiffor

- there are quite a few elements in place in France for the country's renewal. I believe that in less than 10-20 years, France will be quite dynamic and attractive.

Why do you think that?

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Spiffor

I can't tell for these countries, but virtually every young urban Malian speaks French nowadays. Mali props up French as a way to use a common language in a country that has many, and as a way to successfully communicate with the rest of the world (there are many more foreigners that speak French than Bambara)

I beleive my brother went to Mali and was considered weird because he was white and didn't speak French.

JM

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Spiffor

I can't tell for these countries, but virtually every young urban Malian speaks French nowadays. Mali props up French as a way to use a common language in a country that has many, and as a way to successfully communicate with the rest of the world (there are many more foreigners that speak French than Bambara)

im not surprised. Cities are where the contact with the outside is strongest. Cities are where people of different cultural backgrounds (may one still say tribes?) come together. (here in North America most french montrealers are bilingual IIUC, but rural quebecois are often (usually?) not)


But most of the pop of "francophone" west africa is not urban, IIUC.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Sandman
Why do you think that?

France is due for an important generational shift, where a younger generation will rise to prominence in pretty much every field (political, business, high-end in show-business etc.).
During this change, you'll find quite a few self-made men of immigrant background, who can also shake the tree a bit. As they blended with the French (in a flawed fashion), the immigrants created a seriously new culture that is only waiting to become mainstream.

Also, there are several modernizations fo the French society that are incoming: the role of migrants, but also the relationship between leisure and work, the issue of job safety and economic ambition, etc. These debates should make dramatic progresses once we get rid of the last remnants of gaullism next year.

Finally, France has good economic strengthes for itself (a most excellent infrastructure, a very well educated population), which will allow for a rapid gain in prosperity once we get rid of the old conservatisms.