Linguae Europaeae

by Alexis March Alexis March is a Junior in French and Anthropology. After graduation, Alexis is planning on continuing her graduate education in French and International Law. She wrote this blog post as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ in the spring of 2015. At first glance, it may not seem that traditional Breton dance has much to do with Breton language revitalization. After all, how can dancing possibly help a moribund language? For starters, understanding Breton as a “range of social practices” and as an activity reveals the potential of community centered language initiatives, such as traditional dances, in language revitalization (Le Nevez). Fest-noz serves an important function in the transmission of Breton culture and language. It is “a festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional Breton dances, accompanied by singing or instrumental music” (UNESCO). Regional dance, music, language, and gastronomy all play a part in making fest-n...

by Sean Curran Sean Curran is an M.A. student in French Linguistics, finishing his degree in spring 2016. He is interested in vowels and dialects of French and wrote this text as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’. Place Royale [ Image Source ] Quand j’avais 20 ans, j’ai eu la chance de passer un semestre et mon premier séjour à l’étranger à Nantes. On m’a logé chez une famille française qui habitait dans la région depuis longtemps. Un sujet de conversation intéressant mais conflictuel a surgi un jour entre ma mère d’accueil et moi : cette dame, une Française « de souche » parlant à la fois tout bas mais avec une fierté affectée, proclama (chuchota ?) d’un ton sérieux et digne la phrase suivante : « Sean, tu sais, d’abord je me considère femme bretonne, puis femme française, et puis alors femme européenne. »  Je n’avais pas trop bien compris en quoi ces identités auraient été contradictoires. Je lui ai ensuite posé la question dont les suites auraient p...

by Sarah Little Sarah Little is a graduate student in Spanish Linguistics. Sarah is planning on continuing her studies in higher education. She is interested in phonetic and sociolinguistic research and aspires to live in Latin America in the near future. She wrote this text as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’. "No to the death of Breton. Yes to schools that teach it." [ Image Source ] In recent years, the argument against English as a Lingua Franca has found full support on the part of the French, who continually promote the idea of plurilingualism on an international scale. However, the situation within France narrates a different story. Breton, a Celtic language spoken in the Northwest region of Brittany, has undergone a lengthy process to gain the recognition and presence it possesses today. Although there have been vast improvements in the past few decades regarding perceived acceptance of this minority language, one could argue that the steps...

by Gwendolyn Childers In 1972, then-president of France Georges Pompidou encompassed The State’s longtime repression of regional minority languages in the following statement: “There is no room for regional languages in a France that is destined to set its seal on Europe” (ELA, 2012). Even a decade later, J.P. Chevenement, the Minister of Education under president Francois Mitterrand, said in reference to the Corsican language that “teaching the youth languages that offer them no perspective is not doing them a good service,” (Kelly-Holmes, 35). These disheartening statements about regional minority languages have been fairly de rigueur throughout France’s history. So how is Breton still surviving against all odds? Like many severely endangered languages today, Breton has had a history ripe with repression and degradation in status. In recent years, Breton has made strides to reconstitute its status, in a similar way to Irish Gaelic and Welsh. Although the education system has like...

by Audrey Thompson Audrey Thompson is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in French and Political Science. She wrote this blog entry on the Briton nationalist movement and the Briton language in France in the EUC sponsored ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ (FR 418) course in the spring of 2013. L'Armée Révolutionnaire Bretonne : Il y a toujours des citoyens d'aujourd'hui qui croient que la Bretagne devrait être indépendante de la France et que la langue bretonne devraient être autorisés à refleurir dans la société. Il y a beaucoup de groupes avec cet objectif - comme l'Armée Révolutionnaire Bretonne. Ce groupe a été fondé en 1971 sous la section armée du Front de Libération Breton - un groupe politique non violent avec l'objectif de libérer la Bretagne de la France (Breton Revolutionary Army). Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breton_nationalism Une partie de leur manifeste stipule que « notre combat...

by  Stefanie Smrokowski | editors : Alessia Zulato (PhD candidate in French) Zsuzsanna Fagyal (Associate Professor of French) | L’image que beaucoup d’entre nous ont de la culture française est très positive. Quant à moi, j’adore toutes les choses françaises ! La mode est exceptionnelle, la cuisine est unique, et les arts occupent une place éternelle dans l’histoire de ce pays. Je m’incline devant l’influence de la France dans l’histoire des idées et des goûts, ainsi que l’élaboration sophistiquée de sa langue officielle : la langue française. Mais je ne peux pas fermer les yeux sur une chose : l’idéologie de la langue française qui a fait de cette langue une petite brute de classe mondiale. Permettez-moi de l’expliquer ! Personne ne comprend cette vérité mieux que ceux qui parlent encore breton , une langue régionale en France qui cherche à survivre à l’ombre de la langue française depuis des siècles. Le breton est parlé en Bretagne ...