El senat francès ha eliminat del projecte de reforma de la constitució el reconeixement de les llengües minoritzades, entre les quals el català. La revista Nature, la més prestigiosa dins el món científic, n'ha fet ressò: en un editorial de l'últim número, titulat Comédie-Française, diu que s'hauria d'aprovar aviat aquest reconeixement, que és il·lògica la reclamació de l'Acadèmia Francesa de suprimir-lo de la reforma constitucional i demana a l'estat francès que ratifiqui la Carta Europea de les Llengües Regionals o Minoritàries (pdf).
Nature reclama una reforma ràpida de la constitució i critica durament l'actitud de l'Acadèmia Francesa. 'L'Acadèmia argumenta que és obvi que les llengües regionals formen part del patrimoni de l'estat francès i que no hi ha cap necessitat de preservar-les constitucionalment. Això és fals. Precisament la manca de reconeixement constitucional ha impedit que França ratifiqués tractats internacionals per a la preservació de les llengües minoritzades: els tribunals han sentenciat que aquesta ratificació estava prohibida per l'existència de principis constitucionals com la indivisibilitat de la república i la unitat del poble francès', diu Nature en l'editorial.
Per això demana una acció política: 'Encara es pot reintroduir [el reconeixement de les llengües minoritzades], i així hauria de ser: pel bé de la ciència i del seu patrimoni, França hauria d'eliminar ràpidament els obstacles constitucionals i ratificar la Carta Europea de les Llengües Regionals o Minoritàries'. I també demana a l'Acadèmia de les Ciències que es pronunciï en aquest sentit.
'Comédie-Française'
El text íntegre de l'editorial de Nature, en anglès, diu això:
'Quelle horreur'! The 40 élite members of the Académie française are
jumping out of their 'fauteuils', incensed that legislation passed by
France's National Assembly would put regional languages such as Breton,
Occitan, Corse, Alsatian, Catalan and Basque into the constitution as
part of the national heritage. The members are particularly outraged
that the regional languages would get a mention in the first article of
the constitution --- which defines France as an "indivisible, lay,
democratic and social republic" --- ahead of the second article, which
designates French as the official language. The academy, created in 1635
to guard the purity of the French language, voted unanimously this month
to condemn the move as "defying logic", and being a threat to the nation.
Actually, "defying logic", is an apt description of the vote itself.
Globalization is already threatening to extinguish half the world's
6,000--7,000 languages. That would be a tragic loss to humanity and our
understanding of it, if only because knowledge and culture are
inescapably interwined with the languages within which they evolved.
Languages also enrich each other, and provide a trove of data for
research in linguistics and history. The other main French academy, the
Académie des Sciences, should make itself heard on the matter.
Multilingualism has other practical benefits. French scientists who
speak regional languages in addition to the national tongue testify that
early bilingualism has helped them go on to master English and other
languages. Some even argue that the thought processes involved have
helped them to be better and more creative scientists.
The Académie française argues that France's regional languages are so
obviously part of its heritage that there is no need for constitutional
safeguards. That is disingenuous. It is precisely the lack of
constitutional recognition that has blocked France from ratifying key
international treaties to conserve minority languages: the courts have
ruled that ratification is forbidden by existing constitutional
principles, such as the indivisibility of the Republic and the unity of
the French people.
Indeed, if earlier French governments had had their way, Breton, which
is spoken in Brittany, would have been eradicated long ago. Only
stubborn Breton persistence has prevented this from happening, notably
through the creation of the Diwan Breton-language schools from the 1970s
onwards.
'Yec'hed mat' (to your health) to that --- because regional and minority
languages, like endangered species, merit protection. Languages that
aren't revitalized through constant exercise die out. It's hypocritical
that France, which is one of the first to staunchly defend its own
elegant national language, should deny that same right to regions that
wish to keep their own languages alive and vibrant. The National
Assembly's legislation was rejected last week by France's conservative
Senate. But it could yet be reintroduced, and should be: for the sake of
both science and its own rich heritage, France should remove the
constitutional obstacles as quickly as possible, and ratify the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
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