1. The Toubon law is at the heart of our republican pact
The law of August 4, 1994 relating to the use of the French language is a major text and constitutes one of the “major laws” of the Ministry of Culture. It concretizes the application of article 2 of the Constitution: “the language of the Republic is French”, in education, work, exchanges (in particular public displays, advertising, consumption practices, etc.) and services public.
Contrary to the caricatured images that have sometimes been attached to it, the Toubon law is open to developments in the language and other languages. Its purpose is not to exercise control over the language, with the aim of preserving an imaginary purity.
Social cohesion law, it aims above all to ensure the equality of citizens on a daily basis. It guarantees everyone access in French to information, knowledge, culture and public services. It establishes a protective base for consumers, users and employees, ensuring them a “right to French” in their daily lives.
France is one of the rare states to have such a legal framework. This has demonstrated its effectiveness in many areas, and remains fully relevant at a time when the issues of intelligibility and accessibility of messages addressed to citizens are a priority for public policies.
Sharing a common language is therefore a prerequisite for combating all forms of exclusion, whether social, cultural or generational, across all territories of the Republic.
Various studies show that our fellow citizens are very attached to their language. Nearly 2 out of 3 French people consider it useful for a law to guarantee the use of French in society, while 90% of them consider it essential for public services to use the French language with users. A sign of its modernity, for 18-24 year olds, the French language constitutes the element that unites the French the most.
However, as a recent Senate report highlights, the Toubon law is still too often unknown, sometimes misunderstood and insufficiently applied.
Technological developments, the globalization of trade, certain editorial inaccuracies which may have led to negative case law reducing the scope of the text, are all points that need to be addressed.
2. Thirty years after the adoption of the Toubon law, a collective reflection to act in favor of our language
Faced with these observations, the Ministry of Culture intends to open a collective reflection on this legal framework and, more broadly, on the policies implemented in favor of our languages.
A series of conferences will enrich the discussions around these questions, by placing the debates in a historical, legal and political perspective:
Organized with the scientific support of the National Archives, the Jean-Mabillon Center (École nationale des chartes), the Roland-Mousnier Center (UMR 8596 CNRS/faculty of letters of Sorbonne University) and in partnership with the Cité internationale de la langue française , this scientific day will allow us to understand the linguistic policy of the State by studying the scope of the Villers-Cotterêts ordinance of 1539.
- On December 6, 2024, a second event will take place at the Institut de France, in partnership with the Académie française and the Institut de France, for a contemporary approach to our linguistic policies
The morning, opened by Xavier Darcos, Chancellor of the Institut de France, and Amin Maalouf, permanent secretary of the Académie française, will be devoted to the “History of language policy since 1789”with the participation of parliamentarians, lawyers and linguists. It will notably discuss the relationship of French with regional languages given the rich linguistic diversity of our country.
The afternoon will ask the question of French “Language of the Republic”. Opened by Jean-François Roberge, Minister of the French Language of Quebec and closed by Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, it will be an opportunity to question the public policies implemented in favor of our language through two round tables.
A first round tablein which Mr. Jacques Toubon, former minister, and Mr. Jean-Marc Sauvé, honorary vice-president of the Council of State, will intervene in particular, will endeavor to evaluate the efficiency and perception of the law of August 4 1994 with regard to contemporary developments in society.
A second round tablerelying on the words of parliamentarians, will then consider the prospects for development of this legal framework in view of this assessment.
In a context of profound change and segmentation of our society, what would be the desirable transformations in response to the expectations of society? How can we translate them concretely into the language policies implemented for all of our fellow citizens?
The emergence of concrete solutions to these questions, with the support of all representative partners, is a strong ambition of these events which will be an opportunity for unprecedented mobilization in favor of our language.
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