La prestigiosa revista científica Nature, una de les més importants
del món, publica avui dijous un editorial on critica l'Acadèmia de la
llengua francesa per haver carregat contra el reconeixement de les llengües
dites minoritàries a l'Estat francès en els projectes de reforma de la
legalitat francesa. Precisament el rebuig de l'Acadèmia Francesa cap a les
llengües minoritzades de l'Estat va influir en què el Senat francès rebutgés
aquest reconeixement, tal i com havia aprovat l'Assemblea Nacional francesa,
en incloure una frase explícita a la Constitució per encabir-hi llengües com
el català, el cors, el basc, l'occità o el bretó.

      La setmana passada l'Acadèmia Francesa titllava aquest reconeixement
d' "atemptat" a la identitat nacional francesa, perquè "la llengua francesa
ha forjat França durant més de cinc segles". L'entitat rebutjava citar el
reconeixement d'aquestes llengües com a patrimoni cultural i social francès,
tot i afirmar que l'Estat "ja les reconeix com a tal". L'editorial de Nature
recorda que això és mentida, perquè precisament aquesta manca de
reconeixement oficial ha impedit a l'Estat francès ratificar tractats
internacionals com la Carta Europea de les Llengües Minoritàries, l'únic
estat de la UE que no l'ha aprovat.

      Nature defensa la "riquesa" d'aquells qui coneixen més d'una llengua
(i són com a mínim bilingües). Les llengües, cita la revista, s'
"enriqueixen" unes a altres, i recorda que el multilingüisme té molts altres
beneficis pràctics; cita aquí el cas de diversos científics francesos que
han reconegut que el fet de ser bilingües i parlar alguna llengua dita
"regional" a l'Estat francès, a part del francès, els ha atorgat una major
facilitat per aprendre altres llengües com l'anglès. Molts d'ells afirmen
que els processos mentals de les persones que parlen amb naturalitat més
d'una llengua els ajuden a ser uns científics millors i més creatius.

      En Marc Belzunces, de Softcatalà, ha publicat al seu bloc l'editorial
sencer (en anglès) de Nature, titulat Comèdia Francesa, ja que per
consultar-lo en línia a la web de la revista s'ha de pagar. El reproduim a
continuació:

      Comédie-Française

      Regional and minority languages should be protected, in France, and
elsewhere.

      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.

http://www.nature.com/