The Influence of Anglo-American Borrowings on the Current State of the French Language in French-Speaking Countries

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the language situation of the French-speaking countries in connection with the massive spread of Anglo-Americanisms and their influence on the current state of the modern French language. The research material covers 186 Anglo-American borrowings extracted from articles published and videos posted in French and Canadian periodicals, websites and forums. To achieve the purpose of the study, the following methods were used: the method of continuous sampling of the material, descriptive and comparative methods of the selected material analysis, comparative analysis of dictionary definitions, the method of contextual analysis, as well as the method of statistical data analysis. The results of the study showed that, penetrating into the French language, Anglo-Americanisms undergo lexical, morphological, graphic, syntactic and semantic assimilation in the recipient language. Lexical assimilation, in which Anglicisms are used by native French speakers without adaptation to its language system, is the most frequent phenomenon. The results of an online survey of native French speakers confirmed the following fact: a number of lexically assimilated Anglo-Americanisms most commonly used in everyday life were identified. The survey also revealed a high percentage of respondents inclined to using this layer of vocabulary in their native French language. The study also provides examples of regulatory documents and the names of some public organizations that counteract the penetration of foreign language vocabulary into the French language. An attempt is made to identify extra- and intra-linguistic factors of the integration of Anglicisms into different spheres of human activity. The authors give examples of parallel use of English borrowings and their French equivalents. In the study, the authors pay attention to the etymology of the term Franglais, give a classification of Anglo-American borrowings, as well as represent the ambiguous views of leading linguists and politicians of the French-speaking space regarding the reasons for the appearance of Franglais and their influence on the purity of the French language.