Editing Language policy in France (section)

== Minority and endangered languages ==
Excluding the languages spoken in the [[Région d'outre-mer|overseas regions]] and other overseas territories, and the languages of recent immigrants, the following languages are spoken by sizeable minorities in France:<ref>{{Cite web |title=France |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/FR |access-date=18 June 2022 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>

=== [[Celtic languages]] ===
[[Breton language|Breton]] ([[Bro Gwened#Dialect|Gwenedeg]]/[[:fr:Breton vannetais|Vannetais]], [[:fr:Breton de Batz-sur-Mer|Gwennraneg]], [[:fr:Breton cornouaillais|Kerneveg]], [[:fr:Breton léonard|Leoneg]], and [[Trégorrois Breton dialect|Tregerieg]])

=== [[Francosign languages]] ===
[[French Sign Language|French Sign Language (LSF)]]

=== [[Germanic languages]] ===
[[Alsatian language|Alsatian]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ([[West Flemish]]/[[French Flemish]]), [[Lorraine Franconian|Lorrainian]], [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]], and [[Yenish language|Yenish]]

=== [[Language isolate|Isolate languages]] ===
[[Basque language|Basque/Euskara]] and [[:fr:Langue des signes lyonnaise|Lyons Sign Language]]

=== [[Romance languages]] ===
*'''[[Gallo-Italic languages]]''': [[Ligurian (Romance language)|Ligurian]]
*'''[[Gallo-Romance languages]]'''
**'''[[Langues d'oïl]]''': [[Angevin dialect|Angevin]], [[Berrichon dialect|Berrichon]], [[Burgundian language (Oïl)|Burgundian]], [[Champenois language|Champenois]], [[Frainc-Comtou]], [[Gallo language|Gallo]], [[Lorrain language|Lorrain]], [[:fr:Parler sarthois|Manceau]], [[:fr:Mayennais|Mayennais]], [[Norman language|Normaund]], [[Picard language|Picard]], [[Poitevin dialect|Poetevin]], [[Saintongeais dialect|Saintonjhais]], and [[Walloon language|Walloon]]
**'''[[Occitano-Romance languages]]''': [[Auvergnat]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Gascon dialect|Gascon]] ([[Béarnese dialect|Béarnese]] and [[Landese dialect|Landese]]), [[Languedocien dialect|Langadocian]], [[Limousin dialect|Limousin]], [[Niçard dialect|Niçard]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Provençal dialect|Provençal]], and [[Vivaro-Alpine dialect|Vivaroalpenc]]
**'''[[Franco-Provençal language|Arpitan languages]]''': [[:fr:Burgondan|Burgondan]], [[:fr:Dauphinois (dialecte)|Dauphinois Nord/Isérois]], [[:fr:Forézien|Forézien]], [[Franco-Provençal language|Franco-Provençal]], [[:fr:Jurassien|Jurassien]], [[:fr:Lyonnais (langue)|Lyonnais]] ([[:fr:Bressan|Bressan]]), [[:fr:Mâconnais (dialecte)|Mâconnais]], and [[Savoyard dialect|Savoyard]]
*'''[[Ibero-Romance languages]]''': [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ([[Castilian Spanish|Castilian]])
*'''[[Italo-Dalmatian languages]]''': [[Corsican language|Corsican]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]

=== [[Romani languages]] ===
[[:fr:Romani auvergnat|Auvergnat Romani]], [[Caló language|Caló]], and [[Sinte Romani|Sintikès]]

[[File:SpeakFrenchBeClean.jpg|thumb|left|"Speak French, Be Clean", written on the wall of the [[Ayguatébia-Talau]] school]]
The non-French [[Oïl languages]] and Franco-Provençal are highly endangered; because of their similarity to standard French, their speakers conformed first in [[phonology]], and then [[orthography]] much more readily. The other languages are still spoken but are all considered endangered.

In the 1940s, more than one million people spoke Breton as their main language. The countryside in western [[Brittany]] was still overwhelmingly Breton-speaking. Today, about 170,000 people are able to speak Breton (around 8% of the population in the traditionally Breton speaking area), most of whom are elderly. Other regional languages have generally followed the same pattern; Alsatian and Corsican have resisted better, while Occitan has followed an even worse trend.{{More detail needed}}

Accurate information on the state of language use is complicated by the inability (due to constitutional provisions) of the state to ask language use questions in the [[census]].

Since the rejection of ratification of the European Charter, French governments have offered token support to regional languages within the limits of the law. The ''Délégation générale à la langue française'' ([[General Delegation for the French language and the languages of France|General delegation of the French tongue]]) has acquired the additional function of observing and studying the languages of France and has had "et aux langues de France" (...and languages of France) added to its title.

The French government hosted the first ''Assises nationales des langues de France'' in 2003,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Verny |first=Marie-Jeanne |date=25 October 2003 |title=01-11-03 – À propos des Assises nationales des langues de France, 4 octobre 2003 {{!}} FELCO |url=http://www.felco-creo.org/01-11-03-a-propos-des-assises-nationales-des-langues-de-france-4-octobre-2003/ |access-date=17 April 2021 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> but this national round table on the languages of France served to highlight the contrast between cultural organisations and language activists on the one hand and the state on the other. 

The [[decentralization]] has not extended to giving power in language policy to the regions. In fact, the use of regional languages at local government level is still severely contested. In 2022, some local councils in the traditionally Catalan-speaking department of the [[Pyrénées-Orientales]], such as [[Elne]], passed a modification of their statutes to allow the intervention in Catalan language by their elected members, as long as they provide an exact oral translation in French, as well a written French translation of the session.<ref>{{cite news |title=L'Estat francès porta l'Ajuntament d'Elna davant de la justícia per permetre debatre als plens en català |url=https://www.publico.es/public/l-estat-frances-porta-l-ajuntament-d-elna-davant-justicia-per-permetre-debatre-als-plens-catala.html#analytics-buscador:listado |access-date=3 June 2024 |agency=ACN |publisher=Público |date=23 September 2022}}</ref> Despite being considered a symbolic gesture, the prefect of the Department, arguing that the political rights of French speakers will be violated, appealed to justice to repeal these initiatives. In April 2023, the Administrative Court of [[Montpellier]] sided with the Prefect, thus declaring illegal the decisions of the local councils.<ref>{{cite news |title=La justícia francesa dona la raó a l'Estat i no accepta l'ús del català als plens municipals de la Catalunya Nord |url=https://www.publico.es/public/justicia-francesa-dona-rao-l-estat-i-no-accepta-l-us-catala-als-plens-municipals-catalunya-nord.html |access-date=3 June 2024 |agency=ACN /Público |publisher=Públic |date=18 April 2023}}</ref>

In April 2021, France approved the "Molac" law (8 April 2021) which aims to protect and promote regional languages across the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2021 |title=France adopts historic law to protect its regional languages |language=en |work=The Connexion |url=https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/France-adopts-historic-law-to-protect-its-regional-languages |access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref> The law allows for schools to offer teaching in the medium of a regional minority language for the majority of the school day. However, the French Minister of Education, opposed to the teaching in minority languages, asked the Conseil Constitutionnel to declare it unconstitutional. This led to certain provisions of the law being constitutionally struck down on 21 May 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 May 2021 |title=Langues régionales: Le Conseil constitutionnel censure partiellement la proposition de loi |language=fr |work=Le Figaro |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/langues-regionales-le-conseil-constitutionnel-censure-partiellement-la-proposition-de-loi-20210521}}</ref>