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To the typical Anglophone, the French approach to managing French can seem absurdly authoritarian - how presumptuous to tell people how they should speak. But I
by jl6 4y ago
To the typical Anglophone, the French approach to managing French can seem absurdly authoritarian - how presumptuous to tell people how they should speak. But I do have some sympathy for the concept of a language authority. French does at least have a definition of what French is. I expect French to maintain cultural continuity for longer than English, which is so freewheeling and absorptive that it feels we are destined for schism and mutual incomprehension in the long run. In English, nobody can tell us that our usage is wrong, and we have no North Star guiding us along a shared linguistic journey.
- MafellUser 4y agoBefore people say 'Hey that's can't be true'. It is (sorta): > In America, the style of grammar used in academic, government, and professional situations is called Standard American English. There is no official government agency in the United States that makes rules for the English language. In fact, the United States does not even have an official language. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/who-makes-grammar-rules/3325780.html https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/who-makes-grammar-rule...
- desas 4y agoThe only official language in any part of the UK is Welsh :) > I expect French to maintain cultural continuity for longer than English, which is so freewheeling and absorptive that it feels we are destined for schism and mutual incomprehension in the long run English in England is becoming more homogenous and comprehensible, not less. There's much more internal mobility, much more international mobility and more time is spent consuming mass media including media created in the USA.