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Linguistic Legislation and Transnational Commercial Activity: France &Belgium

Linguistic Legislation and Transnational Commercial Activity: France &Belgium THOMAS E. CARBONNEAU Linguistic Legislation and Transnational Commercial Activity: France & Belgium For French and francophonic people, the continued vitality of their linguistic heritage is an integral part of their sense of national identity and cultural cohesiveness. The truth of this statement has been corroborated recently by legislative enactments in France and in Belgium which prescribe and/or recommend th e use of French in certain private commercial and governmental activity taking place within these countries. This legislation represents an attempt to provide a partial remedy to what has been perceived generally as the syntactical and lexical "contamination" of the French language resulting from the dominance of English or, more precisely, Ameri­ can English, in international business transactions and technologi­ cal development. Born of a common desire to protect the "integrity of th e French language," the provisions of the two legislative instruments are similar in many respects: the earlier French law in fact served as a model for the Belgian decree. They raise the same issues, albeit to differing degrees; namely, the wisdom of modifying linguistic usage through legislative means; th e practicality of enforcing a broad, per­ haps ill-defined, mandate; and the propriety of having their substan­ tive http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png American Journal of Comparative Law Oxford University Press

Linguistic Legislation and Transnational Commercial Activity: France &Belgium

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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© 1981 by The American Association for the Comparative Study ol Law, Inc.
ISSN
0002-919X
eISSN
2326-9197
DOI
10.2307/839897
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THOMAS E. CARBONNEAU Linguistic Legislation and Transnational Commercial Activity: France & Belgium For French and francophonic people, the continued vitality of their linguistic heritage is an integral part of their sense of national identity and cultural cohesiveness. The truth of this statement has been corroborated recently by legislative enactments in France and in Belgium which prescribe and/or recommend th e use of French in certain private commercial and governmental activity taking place within these countries. This legislation represents an attempt to provide a partial remedy to what has been perceived generally as the syntactical and lexical "contamination" of the French language resulting from the dominance of English or, more precisely, Ameri­ can English, in international business transactions and technologi­ cal development. Born of a common desire to protect the "integrity of th e French language," the provisions of the two legislative instruments are similar in many respects: the earlier French law in fact served as a model for the Belgian decree. They raise the same issues, albeit to differing degrees; namely, the wisdom of modifying linguistic usage through legislative means; th e practicality of enforcing a broad, per­ haps ill-defined, mandate; and the propriety of having their substan­ tive

Journal

American Journal of Comparative LawOxford University Press

Published: Jul 1, 1981

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