A Study Of The International Spread Of French:Related Policies And Practices

Language policy is of great significance in a country’s development.Since the 16th century,France,as one of the earliest countries to formulate language policies,has intervened and managed languages through various means such as promulgating relevant laws and establishing related institutions.The establishment of the Alliance Fran?aise in 1883 marked the beginning of France’s language and cultural diplomacy in the modern sense,and since then,the French government has gradually incorporated the international spread of French into its national strategy,striving to improve the international influence and status of French.Over time,France has formed its unique mode in the process of spreading French worldwide,which boasts a typical demonstration effect.At present,there is a paucity of comprehensive and systematic analyses of France’s language policy system by scholars both at home and abroad,and little attention has been paid to the in-depth study of policies and practices regarding the international spread of French.Therefore,this paper,taking the international spread of French as research object,and with a descriptive approach that goes from macro to micro,studies how French has been spread across the world from a panoramic perspective,making in-depth interpretation and systematic analysis of policies and practices regarding the international spread of French at different levels,and thus clarifying the concept,path,strategy and transformation of the international spread of French.This paper has expanded and enriched the research content of language policy and language planning,which is helpful to explore the laws and characteristics of language international spread,thus providing valuable reference and inspiration for the formulation of Chinese language policy and the international spread of Chinese language,boosting the build of China’s national language capacity,and promoting China’s cultural soft power.From the perspective of language policy theory and national language capacity,this paper attempts to construct an analytical framework of language international spread,which consists of language faith,language policy,and language practice,and mainly tries to answer the following questions:1.What are the factors that affect the formation of France’s language policy and what are the core contents and main features of its language policy?2.How did the international spread policy of French evolve dynamically in different historical stages,and what is the internal logic of the change of its policy orientation?3.What are the features of the international spread practices of French in different countries and regions,and various fields?What localized adjustments and innovations have been made to fully implement the language policy established by the government?4.In the face of the challenges and opportunities brought by globalization and information technologies,how can France ’s mode of language international spread keep pace with the times and serve France’s diplomatic strategy and national interests in a better way?This paper,trying to answer the above questions,is composed of seven chapters.It begins with the introduction part,in which,the background,value,and significance of this research are explained.Besides,in this chapter,the author makes a review of the research status both at home and abroad,defines and sorts through relevant core concepts and theories,and then explains the research ideas and framework of this paper.In the second chapter,after analyzing the main factors that influence the formation of France’s language policy from four aspects,namely,national culture,external expansion,language faith,and language competition,the author points out that the core content of France’s language policy is to pursue supremacy of French in France and promote French to the whole world,which is characterized by numerous language legislation,diverse participants,emphasis on language prestige,and some other main features.The third chapter analyzes the guiding principle and framework of the international spread policy of French from the perspective of diachrony.Under the influence of the international situation and France’s national strength,the philosophy and goals of the international spread of French,the role played by the French government in terms of language international spread,and the network building aiming to spread its language and culture abroad show different characteristics and trends in different historical periods.In the fourth chapter,the author analyzes the differentiated spread practices of French in Africa,Europe,the United States,and China in an in-depth manner.Based on following the general rules of communication,France implements targeted and differentiated language spread strategies that are results-oriented,striving to maximize and optimize the spreading effect.The fifth chapter shifts the research respective to international public space that is supranational in nature mainly from two dimensions,namely,international organizations and cyberspace.Based on the language selection mechanism of international organizations and the existing language pattern,France has maintained the role of French as the international lingua franca by safeguarding polylingualism in international organizations,subsidizing French training for international civil servants,and taking advantage of large-scale international events such as the Olympic Games.In addition,cyberspace has become a new arena where various languages compete with each other,and France is taking steps to enhance its voice in cyberspace.The sixth chapter focuses on the current changes of the international spread of French and the countermeasures taken by France.In terms of language international spread,France has gradually formed a mode that features its distinctive characteristics.However,amid the challenges brought by globalization and information technologies,this mode confronts a series of difficulties and crises from the inside out.To adapt to the new changes,the French government has updated and optimized its system and mechanism,spread strategy,development path,and standard system.Then it comes to the last chapter,which is the conclusion part.In this chapter,the author summarizes the research findings,innovative points,and shortcomings of this paper,and puts forward suggestions on the sustainable and high-quality development of Chinese international spread according to China’s national conditions and the new situation of international Chinese education.The research findings of this paper show that France’s language policy exhibits a strong sense of continuity and inheritance,even though its language policy has different focuses at different times.France’s domestic and foreign language policies are fundamentally based on its national interest with an essential aim to maintain the status of French at home and abroad.Its domestic and foreign language policies are organically unified and inseparable with the former being the basis and foundation while the latter being the expansion and extension of the former.French international spread policy presents a dynamic development trend,showing the characteristics of constant iteration in the aspects of guiding philosophy,the role of government,network construction,and so on.From the perspective of the practice of French international spread,the development and decline of French in different regions and fields just show the intricate relationship between lingua franca and power.The international spread of French is a profound embodiment of the political and economic strength of France in the language field.It is not a simple result of language management that French had a strong centripetal force in France’s heyday and eventually developed into an international lingua franca.However,after losing the advantages of self-spreading,French international spread is more a result of the fact that France and many French-speaking countries have taken the initiative in language planning,which has,to some extent,delayed the decline of French on the international stage.At the same time,the French government has always insisted on a particular path that is different from the homogenization of global languages,making French maintain its status as the world’s second-largest international language.In the new historical stage,we should re-examine and rethink the France’s mode of language overseas spread.France should neither be pessimistic nor arrogant about its language.The wisdom of the French government is being tested on how to strike a balance between openness and conservation,and between prosperity and decline.