EU Enlargement and Decline of French

Numbers speak for themselves:

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU enlargement is pushing German ahead of French on the European language ladder, with non-indigenous languages such as Russian and Turkish also on the rise, a new European Commission study has shown. The number of German speakers and English speakers jumped 6 percent each between 2001 and 2005, hitting 14 percent and 38 percent respectively, while the rate of French speakers rose just 3 points to 14 percent. "With the enlargement of the European Union, the balance between French and German is slowly changing. Clearly more citizens in the new member states master German, while their skills in French and Spanish are scarce," the report stated. Almost two thirds of Europeans feel English is the most important foreign language for adults and children to learn. But support for learning French as a foreign language dived from 40 percent to 25 percent in the past five years, while support for German slipped just 1 point to 22 percent. France is fiercely protective of its linguistic heritage, with the Paris-based Academie Francaise sending out ambassadors to eastern Europe to promote French studies and awarding prizes to foreign francophones. The academie also enforces the so-called "loi Toubon" of 1994 against the usage of foreign terms in French public sector texts, providing French options for new words, such as "courriel" instead of "email." "We are aware of international trends, but we want to show that French is able to express reality equally well," academie lexicographer Jean-Matthieu Pasqualini told EUobserver. "There is a danger that the value of French could be forgotten in the language of international science and finance." Exotic tongues on the rise The new study also put Russian on the map as the joint-fourth most popular language in the EU, equal with Spanish on 6 percent. The Russian jump comes mainly from the Baltic States, with about one fifth of Latvians and Estonians citing Russian as their mother tongue while half of all Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians cite Russian as the most important foreign language to learn. Eight percent of Germans quoted non-indigenous languages, mostly Turkish, as their maternal language, with EU candidate Bulgaria also recording 8 percent Turkish mother tongue speakers. Non-indigenous mother tongues account for 5 percent of the British population and 3 percent of the French, with Indian languages and Arabic dominant. The report did not cover Chinese, but European Commission language policy director Jacques Delmoly predicted a "boom" in EU Chinese language learning in the next few years due to China's economic growth. Model Europeans The typical European speaking multiple languages is likely to be young, well-educated and working in a managerial-type position, the study says. The model polyglot is likely to have been born outside his country of residence and to live in a small member state that has more than one official language, such as Belgium, or in a country that has strong ties with neighbours, such as Slovenia. Anglophone and southern European countries came bottom of the class, with 66 percent of the Irish and 62 percent of Brits saying they do not speak any foreign language, while over 55 percent of Italians, Portuguese and Spaniards said the same. The commission itself recently came under fire for shedding Spanish, Italian and French translators in order to take on staff from new member states. With 21 official EU languages and 60 other regional and non-indigenous tongues present in Europe, Tuesday's (21 February) commission press briefing on multilingualism was conducted in English, German and French only. The study said 55 percent of EU citizens believe all EU communication should be handled in just one language, but ducked the sensitive question of "which one?

12,000 native English teachers to teach Spaniards

This story from last year is reminiscent of plans by France's Sarközy (de Nagy-Bocsa) to boost English teaching at French public schools. Zapatero's desire for Spanish children to become fluent in English highlights the spread of English in Europe, a region where French used to be dominant in the second and third language slots but is now increasingly losing out to English in spite of stiff resistance from French institutions and the French government's funding of Lycées Français and Instituts Français throughout the European Union. On the other hand, the kind of Spanglish used in this article would suggest that the Spanish still have some work ahead of them before they can compete with the likes of the Swedes, let alone English native speakers on the global marketplace.

Spanish Prime Minister announces plans to develop English education in Spain
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By h.b. - Feb 19, 2008 - 2:41 PM
Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - Photo EFE
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero set a ten year target for students to dominate what the Spanish often refer to as 'the language of Shakespeare'

The Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has unveiled ambitious new plans for the teaching of English in Spain. He has given an undertaking that 15% of total classes given in Spanish schools will be in English within four years, with the intention that children who pass through the Spanish education system will be bilingual and dominate the language in ten years.

For the plan to be put into action some 12,000 native English teachers are to be employed, together with a further 8,000 native teachers assistants. 20,000 Spanish teachers of English will meanwhile be given a month’s course in an English speaking country.

Speaking at an institute in Fuenlabrada, Madrid, the Prime Minister said that Spain needed the move to complete economically, and that Spanish youngsters would benefit by being able to compete professionally.
‘There are families who can easily pay for their children to travel or study abroad’, he said, ‘but our priority is for those who cannot’.

Courtesy of Edward J. Cunningham

Removing the Language Barrier

insidehighered.com, June 27, 2007:

As European universities continue moving toward standardizing their degree cycles, universities in the continent’s non-English speaking countries are increasingly offering master’s degree programs in which English is the language of instruction — in a bid to increase their competitiveness throughout Europe, and beyond.

“It’s taken off in the past 5 to 10 years, since the advent of the Bologna Process,” says Mariam Assefa, executive director of World Education Services, a non-profit organization specializing in foreign credential evaluation. The Bologna Process, named for the Italian city where the agreement for “harmonizing” European higher education was signed in 1999, aims in part to foster greater student mobility by creating a common structure for higher education in Europe.

“Basically when they decided to open their systems internationally, it was thought that English-language taught programs would make the programs more accessible, because the students don’t necessarily come equipped in German or Dutch or French – particularly if they wish to attract students from beyond Europe,” Assefa explains.

The English-language professional degree programs are primarily in business, the sciences and engineering, but as more and more pop up, more and more options are obviously available. A database of “international” master’s programs (which, by and large, are taught in English) maintained by Finland’s Centre for International Mobility yields 151 master’s degree programs in everything from radio frequency electronics to forest products technology to tourism. The number of master’s degree programs taught in English in Germany has risen to 362, with most of the programs less than a decade old. The University of Heidelberg, for instance, offers master’s degree programs in American Studies, international health and molecular and cellular biology, all in English.

Even France, a nation not known for its love of the English language, has jumped into the arena with a 206-page guide to programs taught in English. “Students no longer have to choose between coming to France and studying in a language they understand,” André Siganos, director-general of Agence CampusFrance wrote in a message to potential students in the front of the guide.

“That,” says Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president for the Institute of International Education, “was a big break-through in France over the past decade or so.”

The faculty composition for these programs can vary, with M.B.A. programs often taught by a mix of international and host country faculty, and engineering programs, on the other hand, mainly taught by host country faculty fluent in English, Blumenthal says. The cost of these programs for international students can also vary dramatically, from nothing at all (the old European price model) to 20,000 Euro or so, or about $27,000 (much more akin to the American model). Yet, by offering instruction in English, the international language of business, universities aren’t solely looking to attract American or British students in search of a cheap(er) or even free program — far from it.

In Germany, for instance, the majority of students are coming from China, India and Latin America, with a “considerable” number also hailing from Eastern Europe, says Ulrich Grothus, director of the German Academic Exchange Service’s New York office. “There’s a much smaller number of students coming from developed countries like the United States or Western Europe – in these particular programs,” says Grothus. “It is true that the majority of American students coming to Germany do so not in spite of the fact that we speak German but because we speak German.”

Hat tip: Edward J. Cunningham

You cannot dictate to ordinary people what words and coins they use

The Spectator, Jun 5, 1999 by Johnson, Paul:

The European Union is an anti-democratic institution run by bureaucrats, lawyers and political elites. When it is put to the democratic test - that is, when the people have a genuine choice about whether or not to abide by its wishes - it invariably gets the thumbs-down. Two particular instances are language and currency. You cannot dictate to ordinary people what words and coins they use. These two things go right to the root of their beings and they decide for themselves. At French insistence, the EU refuses even to consider using English as the common language, though it is the obvious choice, and the Academie francaise makes continual efforts, often assisted by law and government, to ban English. Yet the French themselves, led by their own teenagers, use more and more Anglo-Saxon expressions. Not long ago I spotted Le Monde, which huffs and puffs about the purity of the language, using 'stopper' in a front-page headline, though there is a perfectly good French word. In the same paper, in a front-page article complaining about Anglo-Saxon `cultural imperialism', the author employed the noun 'manager', though again there are two or three acceptable French alternatives.

More and more organisations inside continental Europe use English in their handouts because it makes sense. In Germany and Sweden, important companies with worldwide business now conduct their board meetings in English because it saves time and avoids misunderstandings. A few years ago, a journalist from Scandinavia, where all speak English and very few French, complained to Jacques Delors at a Brussels press conference that he answered questions only in French and had no simultaneous translation. Why? Delors answered that French was `the language of diplomacy', adding under his breath `et de la civilisation'. Neither statement has been true for a very long time.

The currency issue is more acute because the EU has deliberately chosen a common currency as the first step towards a federal superstate. It has identified its future with the success of the euro. This bureaucratic artefact has not even been subjected to the real judgment of the people since it does not yet circulate from palm to palm. But the traders do not want it because they know governments will not stick to the bankers' rules, which must be observed if it is to succeed, and in five months the sceptics have been proved absolutely right. Currency, like language, is demotic. In parts of East Africa villagers still trade and save in Maria Theresa silver thalers from 18th-century Austria because they trust them. In Russia, even under the old Communist regime and long before the rouble officially collapsed, ordinary people used dollars if they could get hold of them. Even Brezhnev had a dollar credit card; so did Mrs Gorbachev; Soviet cruise liners accepted only dollars. It made sense. It's not clear whether we need an official world currency yet but, if we do, the dollar is the obvious candidate. There is no reason why many small countries should have their own currency, any more than their own airline. Bermuda has used the dollar for many years with great success. Argentina, which has managed to keep the peso at parity with the dollar, now wants to join the dollar zone; so does Peru. I foresee a future in which all Latin American countries which contrive to run stable, successful economies will in practice treat the dollar as their own coin.

"Better to use a language that is widely spoken across the globe"

Felly Kimenyi , Gasabo, for The New Times (Kigali)
15 October 2008:

President Paul Kagame yesterday stressed the urgency in the process of using English as a medium of education in all Rwandan schools, saying it is a choice Rwandans have to make if they need development.

He said this while visiting Ecole Primaire d'Application de Kimihurura (EPAK), a primary school located in Kimihurura, Gasabo District.

"The kind of education we want for our children is that which is in line with the vision in place for the development of our country we have to prioritise the language that will make them competent when they get on the labour market after completing school," the President said while meeting the teaching staff of the school.

He said that it is better to use a language that is widely spoken across the globe as Rwanda tries to reach as many countries for business opportunities.

"For example, in our region apart from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a French speaker going to the other countries would have to use the services of an interpreter," he said.

He added that even in Europe, of the more than 20 States that make up the continent, there are not more than three where the French language is spoken.

"In the rest of the countries, no one will have time for you if you speak French," Kagame pointed out.

A cabinet meeting last week directed the Ministry of Education to expedite the programme that will make English the medium of education in all government-funded schools right from primary level to institutions of higher learning.

According to minutes of the meeting, the major reason for this is to make Rwanda more competitive in both the East African Community and the International Community at large.

"We have to make a choice on language depending on which languages the countries we stand to benefit from most use," said Kagame.

The President also emphasized that the major reason is not to just master the English language but the knowledge to be gained in other disciplines like sciences.

English Dominates French In Sweden, Even With MPEs

Managing Multilingualism in a European Nation-state by Sally Boyd, Leena Marjatta Huss, Leena Huss:










Managing Multilingualism in a European Nation-state: Challenges for Sweden
By Sally Boyd, Leena Marjatta Huss, Leena Huss
Contributor Sally Boyd, Leena Marjatta Huss
Published by Multilingual Matters, 2001
ISBN 1853595586, 9781853595585
86 pages

English in the European Union

English in the European Union by Stefan Hinterholzer:






The European Union is not only an economic community. It is also a unique language community in which each language has its place and its right to exist. Today, English is the dominant language in the world serving as a first or second language, a working language, a lingua franca etc. for many people. Nevertheless, the position of the English language is not the same in the European Union as in a global context. This paper will focus on the position of English in the European Union being only one of 23 official languages. It will be analyzed in how far the dominance of English affects the other languages and the institutions of the European Union and to which extent English has the status of a European lingua franca. On the other hand, the influence of the other languages on English will be looked at, which will lead us to the phenomenon of ‘Euro-English’. Finally, the opposition of other language communities against the dominance of English will be discussed.

English in the European Union
By Stefan Hinterholzer
Published by GRIN Verlag, 2007
ISBN 3638779815, 9783638779814
28 pages

"They won't be speaking French"

In a sign of how much has changed, Mr Faure says he is concerned that when he attends this weekend's 50th anniversary celebrations in Berlin he may not understand what is being said. "They won't be speaking French," he says. "When we were preparing the Treaty of Rome, we only spoke French."
Maurice Faure,
the last surviving signatory of the Treaty of Rome,
March 23, 2007 (AFP)

French English-Language Song Sparks Outrage

French Singer Stirs Storm

Compiled by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Published: April 17, 2008
A French singer who plans to sing in English at the Eurovision Song Contest next month in Belgrade, Serbia, has outraged many of his countrymen, Agence France-Presse reported. The singer, Sebastien Tellier, 33, intends to perform “Divine” with almost exclusively English lyrics, becoming the first French competitor to do so since the contest began in 1956. “Many of our citizens will not understand why France has chosen not to uphold its language before millions of television viewers around the world,” said François-Michel Gonnot, a French legislator. Christine Albanel, the culture minister, said France should be “solidly behind” Mr. Tellier, above, but added that “it is a shame that there is no French song” to represent that nation. Mr. Tellier’s producer, Stéphane Elfassi, said, “Out of the 40 countries participating at least 25 will present a song in English.”

Proportion of English-Language EU Drafts Rising by 2pc Annually

An Introduction to Language Policy By Thomas Ricento:

An Introduction to Language Policy: Theories and Method is a collection of newly-written chapters that cover the major theories and methods currently employed by scholars active in the field. provides an accessible introduction to the study of language policy research and language's role in social life consists of newly commissioned essays written by internationally recognized scholars helps define and describe a growing field of inquiry and is an authoritative source for students, scholars and researchers in linguistics, applied linguistics, education, policy studies and related areas includes section overviews, annotated chapter bibliographies, and discussion questions

More details

An Introduction to Language Policy: Theory and Method

By Thomas Ricento

Contributor Thomas Ricento

Published by Blackwell Publishing, 2005

ISBN 1405114983, 9781405114981

371 pagesInc

The Legend of Chirac's Good English and its Purpose

Remember when Chirac stormed out of that meeting? That was funny, wasn't it? Most reports were not as well written or researched than this:

Outraged by English, Chirac storms out of summit
By Stephen Castle in Brussels
Friday, 24 March 2006

Under mounting political pressure at home, the French President, Jacques Chirac, yesterday stormed out of an EU summit in a fit of pique over a fellow Frenchman's decision to speak in English.

Already at the heart of a row over economic protectionism in Europe, M. Chirac gave the EU's spring summit a combustible start, quitting the opening session in protest at a perceived insult to the French language.

M. Chirac walked out of the meeting as it was being addressed by Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the president of the EU employers' federation, Unice. M. Seillière had been invited to address all 25 heads of government on economic reform.

After a brief introduction in French, M. Seillière said he would speak in English because it was the international business language. Without saying a word, the French President left with the French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy and finance minister, Thierry Breton. He only returned when the president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, began speaking in French. Tony Blair and other heads of government remained to hear M. Seillière urge EU leaders to resist national protectionism to avoid a negative domino effect on the single market.

Maria-Fernanda Fau, spokeswoman for Unice, said: "M. Seillière started in French and then moved into English. He uses English because he represents 20 million companies in 33 countries and this is the language of business."

M. Chirac's walkout was greeted with embarrassment by diplomats, who had hoped yesterday's summit would dispel the impression that economic nationalism is on the rise in Europe.

Once the predominant language of the EU, French is waning in Brussels, with English spoken more widely and used in many more EU documents. The rise of English has been unstoppable since Sweden and Finland joined the EU in 1995, followed by 10 more countries in 2004, most of them in eastern Europe, where English is by far the most common second language.

Though the French president speaks good English, and worked in the US in his youth, he has fought hard to defend France's linguistic status. M. Chirac has also criticised several aspects of English life including, last year, its food.

It is common to read that Chirac speaks good English, but I as a Frenchman can assure you that I never heard him use that language. And how could I have since Chirac considered it a betrayal to speak it in countries that don't have it as an official language. And since he kept trips to English-speaking countries to a minimum when he was a president and always made a point of speaking French with every foreigner, he can't have spoken much English during that time, even privately, which leads me to assume that he can't have had enough practise for his English to be fluent.
The fact that everybody repeats that line about Chirac speaking good English and never feels the need to substantiate it confirms once more that one only needs to say a lie often enough for everyone else to believe it. The French would have you believe that even though they avoid to speak English as much as humanly possible they can muster enough of it when they must. They market themselves as the ultimate success: a nation that has become as modern and wealthy as any without breaking with the past. Of course, it is easy to illustrate just the opposite thesis: that France has given up its Christian heritage without achieving sustainable economic success. Yet most commentators seem to drink the French kool-aid that the French state floods the world with.
Not that it will make any difference in the real world.