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  • The Defence of French: A Language in Crisis?
  • Talia Isaacs
Adamson, Robin . (2007). The Defence of French: A Language in Crisis?Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Pp. 199 , US$59.96 (cloth).

On March 23, 2006, former French president Jacques Chirac stormed out of an EU summit after his countryman, Ernest-Antoine Seillière, addressed an audience of EU leaders in English. Chirac defended his action by saying that he was 'profondément choqué' ('deeply shocked') by the Frenchman's abandonment of his mother tongue in favour of English, proclaiming that 'you cannot build the world on only one language, and hence one culture' ('Chirac sort,' 2006). Ironically, Chirac's rhetoric in defence of the French language and French values perpetuated the very monolithic culture and linguistic hegemony in his own country that he so vociferously spoke out against in the context of the EU.

Robin Adamson's The Defence of French confronts the passion-rousing and politically charged topic of the defence of the French language, weaving through the narrative the theme, echoed in Chirac's statement, that language and culture are inextricably intertwined in policy and practice. The book also exposes paradoxes brought about by political expediency, where what appears in the guise of the linguistic is overshadowed by political motives. Contrary to what is implied by the book's subtitle, however, the focus is less on demonstrating whether or not the language is in crisis (e.g., showing the extent of its decline through statistics) than on explaining the impassioned commitment of the French to their language. That is, after briefly acknowledging the different viewpoints surrounding the notion of French as a language in crisis (and revealing that its extinction is not imminent, despite the alarmist tactics employed by some of its defenders), Adamson moves to the more substantive treatment of defensive action as it interfaces with language, politics, power, and identity. Attitudes underlying the actions taken by official and non-official organizations dedicated to the defence of French are historically situated.

The scope of the book is essentially restricted to Europe, with a focus on France. The ability to extrapolate to the language situation in Québec, a hotbed of the defence of French outside of France, is limited, although readers well versed in Québécois language policies will undoubtedly draw their own parallels. In one passage, Adamson makes the unfortunate error of referring to the membership of two 'Canadian state governments' - those of the provinces of Québec and New Brunswick - in the international francophone organization CONFEMEN (p. 22, emphasis added). [End Page 526]

Overall, Adamson's writing is clear, engaging, and accessible. The book is organized logically, under innovative headings (e.g., 'La Francophonie: Commonwealth and Common Wealth?'), and the goals of each chapter are clearly delineated, although the index could be more comprehensive. Chapters 1 through 3 outline the history of the defence of French from the time of the first language decree in the sixteenth century to the present, describing government involvement in the protection and promotion of French through the workings of four official agencies (e.g., the Académie française). Although tables summarize useful information pertaining to the structure of these organizations, hierarchical relationships are not visually apparent and could perhaps have been better represented in flow charts. Chapters 4 and 5 explore the interaction between language and politics and compare relevant aspects of French language policy with those of four Western EU countries. Chapter 6 elaborates problems and contradictions in the history of the defence of French, with a foray into the subject of language as a symbol of identity. The book concludes with a useful summary of defensive actions by the two main actors - powerful government agencies and weaker private organizations. In looking to the future, Adamson propounds the affirming message that replacing the defeatist attitude of doom and lost cause with confidence in the place of French in a pluralistic France and, in turn, in a multilingual world is key to ensuring the continued presence of French in the global linguistic palette. This shift in attitude entails viewing language change as a sign of the vitality and adaptability necessary for the language to thrive...

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