[BBC Podcast] French protest against English language

BBC Words in the News - 09 February, 2007


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Script

Leading the charge of the French language brigade in its latest skirmish was French MP Jacques Miyar. Unusually for a man of the right, the troops following him into battle are trade unionists and language pressure groups, united in a new French resistance. The enemy is the English language. It's colonised French screens, infiltrated French music and now it's conquering the French workplace - in e-mails, or 'le mail' and 'sur le web' on 'l'internet' and even on 'les news'. All this has to stop, says Mr Miyar.

JACQUES MIYAR:

I think this is very dangerous because you know French language is the spirit of France. It will be a big mistake that those enterprises who want to make business in France impose their own cultural way. We French have been imperialists long before them, you know, and we know how it works. So I do believe that it is now time to react and say 'stop your nonsense, respect people, learn French, learn German, learn Chinese and Arabic as well as English'.

The French did legislate against English on the radio but it keeps creeping back by other routes. Seven percent of French firms use it as their main language, while multi-nationals send e-mails to their French workers in English, regardless of whether they understand them or not. All this is clearly a huge blow to French pride, although nobody here is willing to admit defeat even as 'les business' and 'les managers' continue to help the enemy's advance.

Caroline Wyatt, BBC News, Paris

Words

skirmish
short argument, little battle

a man of the right
a man whose political views are conservative rather than liberal or left wing

colonised
taken political control over an area or country, but here, has taken political control over French cinemas

infiltrated
became part of something very gradually or without being noticed, in order to change or even harm it - here, English has become a part of French music

enterprises
companies, organisations, firms, businesses

impose
force other people to accept their own ways, beliefs or ideas

imperialists
countries which take political, economic and cultural control of other regions or countries which are poorer or weaker than their own

creeping back
slowly returning, gradually reappearing

multi-nationals
businesses or companies which operate in more than one country

a huge blow
a big upset, deep disappointment, a heavy set back