France Exception

Many foreigners who first arrive in France have noticed that French people do not like to speak English. This is not entirely due to the French’s poor English proficiency. Some French people obviously understand and speak English, but they deliberately answer tourists' questions in French. In contrast, in France's neighboring countries, locals generally greet foreigners in English. How to explain this difference? I asked a French professor about this question. He thought for a while and said: "Maybe this is a manifestation of the so-called 'Exception Francaise'!"

"French Exception" is one of the most popular words in France today, ranging from the president to the prime minister. , down to the people of Li are always talking about it. For a country like France, which can only be considered medium-sized in terms of size and population, but is among the few world powers, it cannot but be said to be a bit of an exception. This exception is reflected in many aspects: from the perspective of social system, France implements capitalism with French characteristics, advocates moderate government intervention and state-owned economy in key sectors, and implements universal social security and minimum wage systems; in terms of diplomacy, it has been since the De Gaulle period. From the beginning, it emphasized independence and refused to follow the lead of the United States. It once withdrew from NATO and took the lead in establishing diplomatic relations with a socialist country like China. In terms of national defense and science and technology, while adhering to the policy of nuclear deterrence, it vigorously develops high-tech civilian applications and owns nuclear power plants, Ariane rockets, Airbuses and high-speed railways. Even daily chores such as dressing and eating, Parisian fashions and French meals are envied by the world and have become symbols of art and taste. In the eyes of the French, today's achievements of the French are closely related to the long cultural tradition of the French nation. Therefore, tracing back to its origin, the "French exception" can also be said to be the "French cultural exception."

French is the support and carrier of French culture. It is not an exaggeration to say that the French "love their language as much as they love their eyes." The Academie Francaise, founded in 1635 in the era of Louis XIII, has been carefully reviewing French grammar and every new word that appears for hundreds of years, working tirelessly to maintain the purity and health of French. In recent years, faced with the influx of British and American vocabulary along the "information highway", France has used both legislative and administrative means to pursue and intercept it. In June 1992, an additional clause was added to Article 2 of the French Constitution that "the language of the Republic of China is French". The "Loi Toubon Law" passed in 1994 stipulates that all slogans and bulletin boards in public places must be written in French. The original text in other languages ??must also be translated into French, and the French letters cannot be smaller than the original text. Individuals and companies that violate the above regulations will be fined ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 francs. On this basis, in 1996, the government established a committee for the review of specialized terms and new words, working in conjunction with forty respected senior gentlemen from the Collège de France. All new French words and their interpretations must be approved by the Collège de France and published in the Government Gazette before they can count. Once the new words are officially announced, all government agencies must set an example and use these standard French new words in official documents. Every December, the Secretary-General of the Collège de France delivers a "language speech" as usual to evaluate the health and development trends of the French language over the past year. To be fair, the French government's efforts have achieved certain results. For example, the original popular English word software ("software") has been successfully replaced by the standard French word logiciel (literally translated as "logic"). The only drawback is that the courrier electronique ("electronic letter") approved by the French Academy is too convoluted to resist the simple English word E-mail ("伊美儿").

The French government’s protection of cultural undertakings is not limited to the language itself. The country spends approximately 5 billion francs every year to support industries such as journalism, literature, art, music, television, and movies. A law that came into effect in 1996 requires more than 1,300 radio stations across France to broadcast 40% of French songs in their music programs between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm every day.

Similarly, each TV station must not broadcast less than 40% of French-language films each year, and violators will be fined to fund national culture. In the film market, although there are no quota regulations, the government supports the shooting and distribution of domestic films through direct funding and tax exemptions. In addition, the government has introduced a policy since 1985 that stipulates that each TV station must fund the filming and broadcast of domestic films in proportion to its turnover. In 1998, France produced 148 feature films with a total investment of 3.6 billion francs. Among them, various TV stations contributed nearly 1.5 billion francs, while direct state funding (including tax exemptions) was 540 million francs. Despite the strong support from the state, the market share of French films in France has been shrinking for 10 years, and by 1998 it was less than 30%. The remaining seven points have been eaten up by American Hollywood blockbusters. This is why the French spare no effort to advocate "cultural exceptions" and "cultural diversity" in the wave of globalization, and resolutely oppose the inclusion of cultural undertakings under the commercial regulations of the World Trade Organization in order to maintain the status quo, which has been increasingly eroded by American popular products. of French culture.

The French government’s decision to say “no” to the United States has its deep public opinion foundation. Many French people are dismissive of EuroDisney, which is located in the suburbs of Paris, and even denounce it as a cultural "Chernobyl." I remember that when President Mitterrand hired the American architect I.M. Pei to preside over the expansion of the Louvre, the French people were in an uproar: How could we allow Americans who don’t know what history is and who don’t even have a Ministry of Culture in the government to build our national treasure? Breaking ground? Unexpectedly, Mr. I.M. Pei took out the sword from above and revealed that his surname was actually Pei and his surname was Yuming, and his ancestors were Chinese. With five thousand years of civilization and culture at the bottom, those noble French people are considered "exceptions" and shut up.