France has stepped up resistance to the invasion of the English language with a conference on how to stem the rise of Anglicisms in broadcast media from “Morning Live” to “The Voice”, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The advent of reality TV, American series and foreign-designed formats has seen a dramatic rise in English terms like prime time and titles like Secret Story, Masterchef or Ice Show. Canal Plus TV offers currently viewers two slots called Before and After either side of its flagship show, Le Grand Journal.
The Voice, the singing talent show, may be translated as “La Voix” in Canada but the Frenchversion has stuck with the English title. Radio stations, meanwhile are awash with English slots like “Morning” or “Morning Live” for breakfast programmes.
To discuss how to get a grip on the rise of English, the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, CSA, France’s broadcast watchdog, gathered on Monday linguists and TV and radio bosses at its first-ever summit on “the future of the French language in audiovisual media” at the College de France, one of France’s most hallowed academic institutions, in Paris.
“The idea is not to mete out punishment or play at being grumpy grots who hunt English words, but to take stock of the situation and help channels be aware of their obligations in defending and promoting the French language,” Patrice Gélinet, president of the CSA's French language mission told Le Parisien.
Read more of this report from The Daily Telegraph.