University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1994 Cultural categorization and analysis of Anglicisms in contemporary French Holly Jacqueline DasteÌ? The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation DasteÌ?, Holly Jacqueline, "Cultural categorization and analysis of Anglicisms in contemporary French" (1994). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 8208. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/8208 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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A CULTURAL CATEGORIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF ANGLICISMS IN CONTEMPORARY FRENCH by Holly Jacqueline Daste B.A., San Diego State University, 1989 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, French University of Montana 1994 Approved by; Chairperson Dean, Graduate School m c u L ^ 3 , Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP39009 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Oissattatiofi PuWisfwng UMI EP39009 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106 - 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dasté, Holly Jacqueline, M A., May 1994 French A Cultural Categorization and Analysis of Anglicisms in Contemporary French Director: Dr. O.W. Rolfe The 1,560 Anglicisms found in the four major issues of Le Petit Robert dictionary are classified according to cultural categories in order to determine empirically the areas of influence the English language has had on the French language and culture. An introduction discussing the official French attitudes toward Anglicisms and a brief history of governmental language control are provided. The French government, which has regarded Anglicisms as an incursion on the French culture, has tried to impede the use of Anglicisms in French. Therefore an analysis of the nature and extent of borrowed English words in French was conducted, with particular attention paid to the most striking trends in the areas of cultural influence. After the classification of the Anglicisms by cultural category, a discussion of the most prominent cultural areas affected by Anglicisms is provided, along with graphs to illustrate the influence over time. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page A bstract ................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables...................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. A Brief History of French Language Control ......................... 5 2. Classification of Anglicisms by Cultural Category .... 13 3. Areas of Linguistic and Cultural Influence ....................... 93 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 131 Bibliography .......................................................................................................134 in Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Transportation and Travel ................................................................... 96 2. Sports and Physical Fitness .............................................................. 99 3. Business, Commerce and Economics .............................................. 103 4. Materials and Substances ................................................................... 107 5. Food and Drink .................................................................................... 109 6. Animals ..................................................................................................... I l l 7. Music and Dance ..................................................................................... 114 8. Medicine and Health .............................................................................. 116 9. Science and Scientific Processes ................................................... 118 10. A ttire....................................................................................................... 121 11. Movies and Television........................................................................ 123 12. Computers and Mathematics ............................................................ 125 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION Whether the French language has borrowed an excessive number of its words from English and how these words have influenced the French culture is a recurring debate in France. Many French scholars and government officials have criticized the presence in their language of Anglicisms - words, idioms and expressions borrowed into French from English. Many are words that previously were borrowed from French into English and are actually re-borrowings. They have equally condemned the use of "Franglais" - French spoken or written with what is judged to be an excessive or indiscriminate admixture of English words (Costello, p. 529). That this has become such a critical debate in France is not surprising. Not only do the French have a long history of trying to exert a certain control over the vocabulary of their language, be it through the creation of academic organizations or language legislation, but the French themselves seem to have a unique attachment to their language. In a recent poll of 1,000 French people, 60 percent responded that they were "very attached" to the French language and 37 percent said they were "rather attached." In 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 the same poll, when determining how important an objective the defense of the French language must be for the government, 5 1 percent responded "important, not more," 31 percent replied "very important" and 8 percent said that defending the French language should be a priority of the French government (Duplouich, p. 12). It should be noted that the mere existence of such a poll is itself a good example of the unique love-affair the French have with their language. The idea of such a poll in the United States would be completely foreign to Americans. Though the English-only movement in the United States might be compared to the attitude of the French toward their language, the English-only movement is based more on the fear of Spanish becoming a national language in the United States, rather than on a fear of having Spanish words appear in the English language. The use of borrowed terms in English is not in the least discouraged in the United States. The same can not be said of the French regarding Anglicisms. The mere presence of English loan words in French is the source of many fears. Protecting the language is only part of the current debate. A larger, more pervasive issue in the minds of many French scholars and officials is the demise of the French culture Itself. It is feared Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 that the existence of too many Anglicisms will have an adverse effect on the French culture. In 1905, then Minister of Culture Jack (sic) Lang stated, "Should we fail to take steps [against Anglicisms} promptly, we will most certainly lose our identity as a nation, give up our very soul" ("On Defending . p. 9). In 1992, a group of 300 French intellectuals wrote in a statement advising against the use of Anglicisms, "We cannot accept this process of collective self- destruction ... If we