Conflits sur/dans la langue: perspectives linguistiques, argumentatives et discursives by Geneviève Bernard Barbeau, Franz Meier and Sabine Schwarze

Abstract

Reviewed by: Conflits sur/dans la langue: perspectives linguistiques, argumentatives et discursives by Geneviève Bernard Barbeau, Franz Meier and Sabine Schwarze Samira Hassa Bernard Barbeau, Geneviève, Franz Meier, et Sabine Schwarze, éd. Conflits sur/dans la langue: perspectives linguistiques, argumentatives et discursives. Peter Lang, 2021. ISBN 978-3-631-83778-8. Pp. 232. This book offers ten chapters on French language controversies in contexts such as films, stores, Wikipedia, the media, and more. The first chapter, by Schwarze, diachronically analyzes the terminology used to describe linguistic debates, referred to as polémique, querelle, débat, and discussion. Schwarze notes that the term débat entered Old French in the twelfth century from the verb débattre and gained the meaning of dispute in the thirteenth century. Vanessa Wettengl analyzed more than 300 reactions published in the Québec press and on social media on the Québec French used in the film Mommy by Canadian director Xavier Dolan. She reports that supporters of Québécois criticized the use of French subtitles in the film because Québécois can be understood by all Francophones and the use of subtitles reinforces the hierarchical view of French from France as the standard, superior variety. Others criticized the variety of Québécois used in the film as exaggerated and not “authentic,” devaluing the language of Québec. Still in Québec, Bernard Barbeau and Chiara Molinari examined the bilingual greeting Bonjour/Hi used by store owners in downtown Montréal. The greeting was criticized by language authorities as a form of assimilation that aims to do away with French while others characterized it as a “charmant” (66) greeting that reflects the bilingual city of Montréal. Ideological views of French in Québec are also addressed in Meier’s chapter examining the call for a boycott of the sports brand Adidas after the manager, a Francophone Québécois, used mostly English in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Adidas store in Montreal. This was viewed as a lack of respect for Québec Francophones. The media debate around gender-inclusive grammar is discussed in Stefano Vicari’s chapter analyzing headlines in the French newspapers Le Figaro and Le Monde. The author reports on the ongoing polemic on gender-inclusive writing in France, with some feminists perceiving it as a linguistic shift that could improve women’s status and rights while others see it as a “manœuvre d’intimidation idéologique” (148). Vicari found that 38% of headlines in Le Monde and 48% in Le Figaro are against gender-inclusive writing. Bettina Eiber and Ursula Reutner examine Wikipedia controversies, reporting that, although Wikipedia is a collaborative writing platform, insults are minimal at the site and discussions among contributors are often professional and engaging. This collection of chapters is worth reading, although some chapters devote too much [End Page 228] space to introducing the topic and to general information rather than providing more data and analysis of study results. Québec is given quite a bit of space, which is a positive change, as the focus is often on France. Including other Francophone countries would have rounded out the scope of the book. [End Page 229] Copyright © 2022 American Association of Teachers of French