Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Quebec French: From Paris' Shadow to Its Own Groove?
The study reveals a shift in standard language ideology among Québécois language columnists over the 20th century, moving from a strongly monocentric view focused on the French of France towards a more pluricentric acceptance of Québécois French. This shift is linked less to regional linguistic features and more to a growing concern about the influence of English on French, suggesting that 'ideal' French is now defined more by its resistance to anglicisms than by its proximity to Parisian norms.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Weaknesses
The limited corpus size of 300 articles, while allowing for detailed analysis, may not fully capture the nuances and complexities of evolving language ideologies over such a broad time period (1920s-1990s).
Lack of Socio-Political Context
While the study examines the shift in standard language ideology, it doesn't delve into the socio-political factors that might have contributed to this change, such as the Quiet Revolution and Bill 101, beyond a cursory mention.
The study focuses primarily on language columnists' views, potentially overlooking other important perspectives on standard language ideology, such as those of educators, writers, or the general public.
Lack of Discussion on Implications
Although the shift toward a pluricentric view is highlighted, the study doesn't explore the potential implications of this shift for language policy, language teaching, or language use in Quebec.
Rating Explanation
This paper offers a valuable contribution to understanding the evolution of standard language ideology in Quebec. The detailed discourse analysis provides insightful findings, and the focus on language columnists is a novel approach. However, the limited corpus size, lack of in-depth socio-political context, and focus on a single perspective restrict the scope and impact of the study, leading to a rating of 3.
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File Information
Original Title:
The French language: monocentric or pluricentric? Standard language ideology and attitudes towards the French language in 20th-century language columns in Quebec.
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 06:59 AM
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