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Thanks to the language purity laws and Le Acedemie de Française, English words have been banned in France since ... well ... forever.

lores 3y ago
It's l'Académie Française, there are no language purity laws, English words are not banned in France, the Académie offers recommendations that the civil service generally follows, and Québec is generally far purer about the French language than France is.
- leereeves 3y ago
  "The Toubon Law (full name: law 94-665 of 4 August 1994 relating to usage of the French language) is a law of the French government mandating the use of the French language in official government publications, in all advertisements, in all workplaces, in commercial contracts, in some other commercial communication contexts, in all government-financed schools, and some other contexts.[1]" "...the law mandates the use of the French language in all broadcast audiovisual programs, with exceptions for musical works and "original version" films.[2] Broadcast musical works are subject to quota rules under a related law whereby a minimum percentage of the songs on radio and television must be in the French language.[2]" "...this [law also] means that computer software developed outside France must have its user interface and instruction manuals translated into French to be legally used by companies in France." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toubon_Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toubon_Law
  - School-Cotton 3y ago
    That’s not a language purity law, doesn’t ban English loanwords in French, and doesn’t give the Académie Française any legal or political power.
    - leereeves 3y ago
      What "use the French language" means is open to interpretation by the civil service, and as GGP said, "the Académie offers recommendations that the civil service generally follows".
      - School-Cotton 3y ago
        Sure, the Académie is influential, but this thread is in reply to a comment that claims that English words are banned in French which is demonstrably not true. French civil servants use English loanwords like week-end including in official publications, for example: https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/publication/quelle-contrepartie-salariale-pour-le-travail-le-soir-la-nuit-ou-le-week-end https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/publication/quelle-cont...
- bradknowles 3y ago
  Here is what they have to say about the laws that govern them: https://www.academie-francaise.fr/linstitution/statuts-et-reglements https://www.academie-francaise.fr/linstitution/statuts-et-re... From where I stand, I'd call those language purity laws. You can read them for yourself, if you can read French. Otherwise, you may have to make use of a translation service.
  - School-Cotton 3y ago
    I can read French. Which thing on that page specifically are you talking about? It all seems to be laws establishing the Académie, governing how it’s run, etc., but I don’t see anything on there about mandating that anyone speaks French in a particular way according to the Académie’s decisions.
    - bradknowles 3y ago
      The thing about French laws is that they are based on a different system than we have here in the US. It's called the "common law" system. That's why a normal, valid, and fully enforceable contract between two multi-million dollar companies in France could be just a page long. Or maybe just a few pages. The 99.9% that is not written down on that paper is assumed to automatically be applied, and therefore doesn't have to be written down. And the same is true for creating new laws in France. When you create a law that establishes the existence a certain organization, a whole host of other things are effectively built into that, simply by inheritance from the common law system. And common laws don't need to be written down anywhere, because they're common. You look at what is written, and you see only what is written. I look at what is written, and I understand something of how much doesn't need to be written because it's common law.
      - School-Cotton 3y ago
        At this point you’re just making up nonsense to avoid admitting that you were wrong from the beginning.
School-Cotton 3y ago
There is no such thing as “language purity laws” in France; that’s a complete myth. The Académie Française is a cultural institution with no legal power whatsoever. Some English loanwords in French are “weekend”, “shampooing”, and “chewing-gum”.

lores 3y ago

It's l'Académie Française, there are no language purity laws, English words are not banned in France, the Académie offers recommendations that the civil service generally follows, and Québec is generally far purer about the French language than France is.

leereeves 3y ago
"The Toubon Law (full name: law 94-665 of 4 August 1994 relating to usage of the French language) is a law of the French government mandating the use of the French language in official government publications, in all advertisements, in all workplaces, in commercial contracts, in some other commercial communication contexts, in all government-financed schools, and some other contexts.[1]" "...the law mandates the use of the French language in all broadcast audiovisual programs, with exceptions for musical works and "original version" films.[2] Broadcast musical works are subject to quota rules under a related law whereby a minimum percentage of the songs on radio and television must be in the French language.[2]" "...this [law also] means that computer software developed outside France must have its user interface and instruction manuals translated into French to be legally used by companies in France." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toubon_Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toubon_Law
- School-Cotton 3y ago
  That’s not a language purity law, doesn’t ban English loanwords in French, and doesn’t give the Académie Française any legal or political power.
  - leereeves 3y ago
    What "use the French language" means is open to interpretation by the civil service, and as GGP said, "the Académie offers recommendations that the civil service generally follows".
    - School-Cotton 3y ago
      Sure, the Académie is influential, but this thread is in reply to a comment that claims that English words are banned in French which is demonstrably not true. French civil servants use English loanwords like week-end including in official publications, for example: https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/publication/quelle-contrepartie-salariale-pour-le-travail-le-soir-la-nuit-ou-le-week-end https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/publication/quelle-cont...
bradknowles 3y ago
Here is what they have to say about the laws that govern them: https://www.academie-francaise.fr/linstitution/statuts-et-reglements https://www.academie-francaise.fr/linstitution/statuts-et-re... From where I stand, I'd call those language purity laws. You can read them for yourself, if you can read French. Otherwise, you may have to make use of a translation service.
- School-Cotton 3y ago
  I can read French. Which thing on that page specifically are you talking about? It all seems to be laws establishing the Académie, governing how it’s run, etc., but I don’t see anything on there about mandating that anyone speaks French in a particular way according to the Académie’s decisions.
  - bradknowles 3y ago
    The thing about French laws is that they are based on a different system than we have here in the US. It's called the "common law" system. That's why a normal, valid, and fully enforceable contract between two multi-million dollar companies in France could be just a page long. Or maybe just a few pages. The 99.9% that is not written down on that paper is assumed to automatically be applied, and therefore doesn't have to be written down. And the same is true for creating new laws in France. When you create a law that establishes the existence a certain organization, a whole host of other things are effectively built into that, simply by inheritance from the common law system. And common laws don't need to be written down anywhere, because they're common. You look at what is written, and you see only what is written. I look at what is written, and I understand something of how much doesn't need to be written because it's common law.
    - School-Cotton 3y ago
      At this point you’re just making up nonsense to avoid admitting that you were wrong from the beginning.

School-Cotton 3y ago

There is no such thing as “language purity laws” in France; that’s a complete myth. The Académie Française is a cultural institution with no legal power whatsoever. Some English loanwords in French are “weekend”, “shampooing”, and “chewing-gum”.