In 1994, the French government passed a law, known under the name of the Loi Toubon, the then Minister of Culture, for the defence of the French language. Called ironically the “all-good” law, it is based on a disposition of the Constitution which states that “la langue de la République est le français” (i.e. “the language of the Republic is French). It was therefore thought that the French language was under threat in view of the expansion and predominance of English.
This was obviously before the development of the Internet and new technologies going from “web” to “chat”. Indeed, if it is still in force today, this law is not easily applied at a time of globalisation of business and exchanges of all kinds. Nevertheless, as often happens when it is a question of languages, but in particular French and its purist defenders, we are here to give an impartial view of reality.
Do we really believe that French is the only language that has been and is being “invaded” by a vocabulary from abroad, starting with English? Do the words “ensemble”, “surprise”, “boutique” or even “initiative” ring a bell? And those which are more or less used in French, “déjà vu”, “fiancé”, “au pair” and “tête-à-tête”. All borrowed from French and used in both British and even American English.
Whether diplomatic, political, cultural, culinary, or used in the world of fashion and whether taken as they are or modified to adapt to English spelling and/or pronunciation, there’s no question but that these words are of French origin. Sometimes, the linguistic exchanges that have take place between French and English over the centuries are like the long exchanges in a tennis match, like the word “tennis” itself, which is in fact the imperative form “tenez” used in a match of jeu de paume (real tennis), its famous ancestor.
The purists stay on their guard and are ready to attack when it comes to anglicisms. Nevertheless, French is the most borrowed language by English and has been for centuries. After all, isn’t there a motto used in England “Honni soit qui mal y pense” ?
What do you think?