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| And my English is poor.... |
'This is a scandalous proposal!' say opponents.
No it isn't, it is nothing new moreover because it does no more than formalise what has been going on in French higher education for years, where almost 800 courses have been given in foreign languages (90% English) for 20 years, despite the Toubon Law which theoretically forbids it apart from a few very rare exceptions. It's a hypocritical ostrich-head-sand situation which needs to change.
Yes, but why have any subjects in anything but French in a French university except a language-related cursus?
Because the real world imposes it. The vast majority of research and development in Europe and the world in the medical and pharmaceutical environment, science and technology, physics, chemistry and mathematics as well as information technology and future technologies such as nanotechnology is in English. Also, you can't do business with the Anglophone world unless you know Anglo-Saxon law systems. You don't like it? Change planets then. Or, of course, only do business with African dictatorships,
Some politicians and philosophers fear that France is "losing its influence" and are worried about "a loss of technical expertise in a certain number of areas" and that this may lead to the disparition of French.
Indeed, and that's precisely why it's time to use English. France should not be doing a King Canute here, it should be waking up and smelling the coffee. There is nothing incompatible whatsoever about 'international France' increasing its expertise - and god knows it needs to - in order to become more competitive in a globalised world and 'homeland France' continuing to insist on the use of French in France. Nor would this law affect 'Francophonie', the curious and imperialist-tinged French custom of proselytising French abroad (whilst resisting English at home!)
'Foreign students who come to France should follow their cursus in French.'
Foreign students bring much-needed revenue to cash-strapped French educational institutions and the vast majority of them already speak English whereas they they do not speak good French. Some of the best students in the world come from countries in which English is systematically taught. They come here to increase their knowledge and increase their chances of employment, and knowing their subject in English is an essential part of that. Besides, surely they will go home praising France if they get an adequate and pertinent education here? French only? If you did that you'd have no foreign students left, simple as that.
'The Académie Française objects.'
So what?
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Sheesshhh, I mean, it's hardly rocket science now is it!
Français baisser votre culotte et laisser vous sodomiser ,en remerciant nos amis anglo-saxon .Putain ses cons de Français parlent Français.pire ils osent étudier en Français .
ReplyDeleteBonté gracieuse ! Ces perfides Albionais sont horrid, n'est-il pas ? Attention, ils vont nous faire boire de l'eau tiède avec un nuage de lait si on ne fais pas gaffe !
DeleteBoone soirée à toi.. :)
Left behind, unlike Scandinavia, Germany, Holland...
ReplyDeleteYup, and although the French themselves are often - and quite rightly - to be heard saying that they catch up with ideas elsewhere in the world 15 years after everyone else, France's self-damaging resistance to English continues.
DeleteBut Jesus, when you think that universities in places from Cairo to Columbia and from Beijing to Belgrade understand the pragmatic need to learn English in certain areas of international life you begin to wonder whether or not the full-on resistance to English in France is due to something more negative and divisive than mere linguistic principles...
You are so right! It almost seems like some people are blaming anybody but themselves for being too lazy to get a well rounded education. I really have issues with Anonymous who made few spelling mistakes IN FRENCH, (and didn't take typing lessons). Why all the vulgarity to make a point?
DeleteHaha! Yes, I noticed Anon's very bad French too. I strongly suspect that Anon isn't French but if he/she is I would willingly dispense him/her from English lessons in order that he/she learns to speak his/her own language correctly first. As to the vulgarity, well, you know, water, duck's back and all that. I think it's rather amusing to be honest.
DeleteFrançais le monde est américains ,fermer vos gueule rentrez dans le rang.Regarder nos amis Anglais .Tous le monde sait qu,il est impossible de suivre des cours de science,d,économie ,ou de politique étrangère en langue Française .Votre pays ,votre culture ,votre langue ne servent a rien .Soumettez vous ou disparaissez .Il n,y a qu,une seul façon de voir le monde .Il serait terrible que des étudiants ou des professeurs étrangers s,abaissent a apprendre le Français pour suivre ou donner des cours dans votre tous petit pays .Bordel, pour qui vous prenez vous français.France tu es foutu ,ton arrogance ,ta suffisance et ta langue de merde est insupportable .Vous m,avez ouvert les yeux.
ReplyDeleteJe dis ! Bonne grief ! Une tasse d'eau tiède peut-être, même sans nuage de lait ?
DeleteAh, it's not worth getting angry about this subject mon ami. After all, it's only the Wheels of History turning...et nous, on n'y peux rien.
formidable. l,histoire est fini!C,est bien ce que je disais.Et dire que des étudiants Français qui vont étudier dans vos pays ,ont aux moins la politesse de parler l,anglais .Pour se qui concerne les dictateurs Africains rassurez vous il ont des traducteurs anglais. A moins que de parler Français fait de vous un dictateur.Honte a vous Français .Regarder toutes les démocraties qui sont issue des anciennes colonies Anglaise.
ReplyDeleteInteresting subject. I don’t think France will lose its frenchness if English is taught in some university courses. I found that French Canada is even stricter with their French language than the French in France. Even though many French Canadians speak English they rarely do so with tourists, but in a French island in front of Canada, called St Pierre et Miquelon where we went on vacation, the French there spoke English all the time with customers.
ReplyDeleteActually my two grandsons, aged 6 and 5 have been studying Chinese for two years as the most important language of the future, and that in a private school in Tennessee. Next year, the oldest will go into first grade in a public school and Mandarin will be offered there too. I studied Chinese too as well as Russian and Arabic but I am retired now so I only speak English French and Italian…. but I still have a French accent! Learning languages is good for the brain and keeps it young.
Hi! What you say about learning Chinese is interesting, and Chinese is one of the favourite second languages in France after English, although it is obviously a long way behind in terms of numbers.
DeleteI discussed this subject with a French friend - a former teacher - and she is mad with rage at the narrow-mindedness of her compatriots. She reminded me that a few years ago when second language teaching was an option in primary schools and teachers could choose the language there were quite a few who taught any other language but English for no other reason than to stop the 'English invasion'. In other words, trading children's futures for their bigoted principles.
Not only that, she is quite right when she says that the fact of concentrating on learning a new language opens up the world and makes people aware of their shortcomings in their mother tongue.
And god knows that the French speak and write their own language very badly indeed. In fact, an OECD study I read a while back showed that the French are one of the worst in the OECD when it comes to mastery of their own language.