НОВЫЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ В ПОЛИТИКЕ ФРАНКОФОНИИ

Abstract

The paper considers the main stages, directions and modern changes in the policy of Francophonie. The role of the language factor in French foreign policy is analyzed in detail. Special attention is paid to the relationship between the policy of Francophonie and immigration to France. Student migration as a promising direction in the policy of Francophonie, its advantages and disadvantages are explored. The main directions of the policy to attract foreign students to French universities and research centers are thoroughly discussed in the paper. The debates on the adoption of the Higher Education and Research Law in May 2013 (the Fioraso Act) are also considered. New trends in the policy of Francophonie are defined, including the expansion of the francophone education system through teachers’ training, teaching different subjects in French, and modernization of the French language learning programs with emphasis on professional education and adaptation to the modern labor market. The article pays attention to one of the latest notable tendencies in the transformation of French as a language of culture and art into a business language. The data for the current situation regarding the expansion of French language in the world, as well as various approaches to the topic of Francophonie in the main 2017 presidential elections candidates’ programs in France are presented. The latest official figures of the Observatory of French language for the expansion of French language in the world are given. It is concluded that the prospects for Francophonie are largely determined by cultural and language politics in France, the contradiction between the official policy of Francophonie and the real competition between French and English, the attitude towards both languages, their usage by the country’s government as well as in science, culture and education of France.&nbsp