France One of the European countries where minority languages are less recognized and corporate promotion. Linguists estimate that there are up to 75 so-called regional languages in the neighboring country, most of which are linked to overseas territories, a legacy of its colonial past. The six countries with the most speakers in metropolitan France are Alsatian (about 600,000), Occitan (540,000), Breton (140,000), Catalan (125,000) and Basque (51,000).
Despite this linguistic diversity, the centralized tradition meant that the use of this language was marginalized by the State. And now France can be one hinders Spain’s demand The European Union recognizes the officialdom of Catalan, Basque and Galician.
In the case of France, no minority language is officially recognized. Both right and left parties consider article 2 of the French Constitution as a totem: ‘The language of the republic is French’. Despite this centralization, legislation has improved in recent years. There is a certain tolerance in the learning of these languages in public and private schools and in the use of names in civil registry. despite The average age of its speakers is usually over 70.Some regions, such as Brittany or Corsica, have experienced a certain regionalist revival in recent years and have gained social prestige.
Paris is quiet
In 1994 the Toubon education act recognized its use in education. France signed the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional Languages in 1999, but later refused to ratify it. A decade later, a constitutional reform in 2008 recognized that these minority languages ”belong to the heritage of France”.
More recently, the National Assembly passed the Molac Act in 2021, although the Government of Emmanuel Macron opposed it. This standard aims promoting the existence of bilingual schools (in French and local language) and teaching the relevant regional language in different regions. After the executive branch’s objection, the Constitutional Council, the equivalent of the Constitutional Court, denounced the part of the law devoted to linguistic intensity. To compensate for this decision, which was opposed by thousands of people in Brittany, the French Basque Country or Northern Catalonia, the Government issued a circular at the end of the same year, in which it assured that the presence of public centers would be tolerated. regional language was instrumental.
Spain’s petition to the Council of Europe demanding the official status of Catalan, Basque and Galician languages did not create much media coverage in the neighboring country. At this time, your Government has not taken a decision on this matter. The sources of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted by El Periódico de Catalunya from the Prince Ibérica group and the permanent representation of the French in Brussels chose not to take the position. However, it is clear that official recognition EU will disturb the French administration.. And this indicates that these languages are little known in the neighboring country.