3 ms·
I guess it's time the French gave up on the colonialist idea of the "Francophonie" and accepted that French is evolving independently in other countries just li
by hnbad 3y ago
I guess it's time the French gave up on the colonialist idea of the "Francophonie" and accepted that French is evolving independently in other countries just like English, Spanish, Portuguese or Dutch.
I wonder how much of this being perceived as "changing French" rather than just other countries having their own variants of similar languages goes back to France holding onto its colonies and trying to keep them close even after some of them formally gained independence.
Nobody would write an article about how Mexicans are "changing Spanish" or Brazilians are "changing Portuguese" let alone about how South Africans are "changing Dutch" (it's called Afrikaans and considered a distinct language just like Belgian Flemish). Some "spillback" via migration from the former colonies is hardly worth writing about.
- przmk 3y agoFlemish is definitely not a separate language and nobody considers it so, even in Belgium.
- hnbad 3y agoI see you are not a linguist. As the saying goes, a language is a dialect with an army.
- ekabod 3y agoEvery time France wants to organize something with african countries, the world colonialism is thrown somewhere in the discussion. French colonialism died 50 years ago. Time to move on. All countries in the world can participate in "Francophonie" initiatives or meetings. There are 88 countries who participate in it. It is just a club to promote french language.