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French TV viewers resent needless use of English

In its annual report released this week French TV and radio regulators revealed that French language and culture regularly suffers as the sector expands and that viewers’ main cause for complaint is the unnecessary use of English.

French TV viewers resent needless use of English
French public are not happy about the over use of English on TV and radio. Photo: Patrick Herzog/AFP

Despite efforts to protect the French language and culture in the TV and radio industry, the language of Moliere continues to suffer at the hands of English, according to a new report by industry regulators CSA.

And French viewers themselves are not too happy about it.

CSA’s report revealed that of all the complaints the organisation receives it is the invasion of English which most grates them.

“The council regularly conducts language survey’s complemented by the letters and emails from viewers and listeners about inaccuracies noted on TV and radio.

“We see that what offends the public the most is the borrowing of English words and terms, to the detriment of their French equivalents, the inaccuracies and the use of rude words or vulgar expressions.”

This was backed up by Nicolas Jacobs from France 2 TV channel, who has said previously that he receives more and more mail from viewers fed up with the growing presence of English on their screens saying it is like being accused of being a "traitor or a sell-out".

"This is a new phenomenon," Jacobs said.

Several rules are in place for the industry to protect French language and culture, notably the rule that 40 percent of programmes or songs played on certain radio shows must be French. The CSA report revealed that in 2013 this rule was frequently broken, with the regulator having to send out 21 warnings. 

Other steps are also taken to protect the language.

France Televisions has an agreement with French TV and radio regulator CSA, for example, that bars the use of foreign terms when a French one exists.

The channel TF1's official "convention"  states it must "strive to use French titles for its programmes" and that "an advisor on the French language must be employed by the channel".

But with the TV and radio sector changing rapidly, the old rules no longer seem adequate and the CSA has struggled to keep up.

Last December leaders of France’s TV and radio industry, as well as politicians, met to try to come up with a new strategy to boost French resistance against the relentless invasion of English.

In this week's CSA report under the section headlined “Respect for the French language” it is reminded that the council “must ensure the defence and the illustration of the French language” in the audio visual sector.

However one of the problems arisen in recent years that has put the CSA in somewhat of a pickle is that many French artists chose to sing in English, in the hope of becoming a success abroad.

Added to this is the fact that many French people now listen to music on internet channels like YouTube and Daily Motion, which are not subject to French laws.

The CSA proposes that the famous rule, forcing radio stations to play 40 percent of the songs in French during certain music shows, should be adjusted to take account of these changes and so authorities can impose a requirement to play a minimum of French songs on these new radio shows.

Should the French protect their languiage and culture? If so, how?

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

8 favourite French words of the Day

More words and phrases from the fabulous French language – including a useful argument phrase, the poetic term for ugly crying, one phrase that is a warning of an impending temper tantrum, and a handy guide to online terms...

8 favourite French words of the Day

Every weekday The Local publishes a French word or phrase of the day. We try to focus on colloquialisms, slang, sayings (and a bit of swearing) – you know, the type of French you won’t learn in the classroom, but will hear all the time in the street.

This daily habit means we have a very extensive back catalogue – find it here – and we’ve picked out eight of our recent favourites.

N’importe quoi

If you are ever involved in an argument in France, and the chances are you will be, you are going to need this French expression that means one of ‘no matter what’, ‘anything’, ‘whatever’, ‘nonsense’, ‘rubbish’ – or even ‘bullshit!’.

We get to the bottom of how that all works, here.

Éclater en sanglots 

Honestly, the French language is routinely much more poetic than English, as its version of ugly crying beautifully and … well, poetically … demonstrates.

Éclater en sanglots – roughly pronounced ay-clah-tay ahn san-glow – means to burst into tears (or sobs). Éclater is the verb to burst, while sanglot is a wonderful term for the ‘spasm causing contractions of the diaphragm and accompanied by tears’.

Try not to blub as you read more, here.

Zut

It’s a bit old-fashioned now, but this polite exclamation of frustration is always fun… And no, it’s not ‘zut alors‘ despite what your school textbooks told you.

Read more, here.

En lice

This phrase, dating back some 800 years or so, is a good one to know for the end of the French rugby or football seasons, and the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The expression actually refers to being part of a competition or tournament. In English, we might say ‘in the running’ or ‘in the fray’. 

Get up to speed with the term here.

Péter un câble

You may want to make like Homer Simpson and back away carefully into a hedge if you hear someone say “je vais péter un câble”. Because it means they’re very close to losing their temper in a dramatic and not entirely constructive manner…

We explain, here.

Raccrocher au nez

If you feel the urge to hang up on the 15th cold caller to offer you protection juridique, and miss the days when you could slam the phone back down on its cradle, rather than simply pressing a button, this is the phrase for you.

Wait… don’t hang up… find out more, here.

L’effet waouh

Don’t be fooled by the odd spelling – l’effet waouh is no false friend: it really does mean the ‘wow factor’. Similar to the English-language version, in French it can basically be used for anything that elicits a sense of surprise, shock or curiosity – from red carpet outfit to the age of the French Prime Minister…

Learn about the French version of wow factor, here.

Brûler les étapes

Not something you usually want to do – even if you’re in a rush – “burning the steps” means to cut corners, as we explain (in full) here.

One final thing – as we’re nearly a quarter-of-a-century into the 21st century, it’s probably time to catch up on some key French online terms.

How to talk email, websites, social media and phone numbers in French

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