Everything about Standard French totally explained
Standard French (in French:
le français standard,
le français neutre [NeutralFrench] or even by the
misnomer le français international [InternationalFrench]) is an unofficial term for a
standard variety of the
French language. It is a set of spoken and written formal
varieties used by the educated
francophones of several nations around the world. Standard French is also the language of dictionaries,
higher education, the
press, television and radio
broadcasting in addition to government and business-related communication. As such it's a
prestige dialect.
As French is a
pluricentric language, Standard French comprises various
linguistic norms (consisting of
prescribed usage). The
syntax,
morphology, and
orthography of Standard French is explained in various works on
grammar and style such as the
Bescherelle, a reference summary of
verb conjugations first compiled in the 19th century by the Bescherelle brothers from
France, and
Le Bon Usage written in the 20th century by
Belgian grammarian
Maurice Grevisse.
In France, Standard French is based on the
pronunciation and
vocabulary used in the formal registers of the French of
Metropolitan France, dominated by
Paris and called "Parisian French" while not taking into account the multiple other registers used daily in the nation's capital.
In
Quebec, Standard French is more often called "international French" or "
Radio Canada French" owing to decades of a foreign, European pronunciation dominating both news and cultural broadcasts up until the 1970s. In the rest of Francophone Canada, the spoken and written varieties of formal
Quebec French as well as language in
Government of Canada documents and speeches are viewed as Standard French. Linguists have been debating what actually consistitutes the norm for Standard French in Quebec and Canada on a lexical level since research to date has concentrated much more on the differences from informal varieties of Quebec French and
Acadian French. Since French-speaking Canadians use reference works written by the French, by Belgians, and by reputed Canadian
linguists and
lexicographers alike, the answers concerning an
endogenous norm are not always apparent.
Although Standard French has in fact undergone centuries of human intervention and
language planning, popular opinion, however, contends that Standard French should consist
solely of the rulings by the
Académie française in France, or in standardization from
terminological work by the
Office québécois de la langue française in Quebec. There is further perceived or actual linguistic
hegemony in favor of France by virtue of tradition, former
imperialism, and a
demographic majority. Such notions hinge on
linguistic prestige rather than on a linguistic norm. Also, despite the existence of many regional varieties of French in the Francophone world, Standard French is normally chosen as a model for learners of French as a foreign or
second language. The standard pronunciation of Metropolitan French is, out of concerns for comprehension or
social stigma, sometimes favored over other standard national pronunciations when teaching French to non-native speakers in Francophone nations other than France.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Standard French'.
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