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Article: French, a language in exile.
- Article from:
- Inroads: A Journal of Opinion
- Article date:
- January 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Inroads, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Le francais, une langue en exil," Raisons communes. (Montreal: Boreal, 1995); translated by John Richards.
Making French the language of daily use in North America presents a paradox; one cannot sustain the use of French based simply on its being a "habit" that has survived for several centuries. To do so requires more solid reasons that make sense in terms of social life.
Individuals and societies express themselves using all sorts of signs and symbols spread through daily life and bound up with the most ordinary behaviour. Language is the mobilization of these signs and symbols. It brings them to consciousness. It is not the record, more or less ...