STANDARD FRENCH AND THE NORM: THE HISTORY OF A FRENCH “LINGUISTIC AND LITERARY NATIONALISM”

Abstract

This article offers a reflection on the relationship between the concepts of
“language” and “nation” in France. The distinctive feature of this study lies in its focus on
understanding the concept of standard French at both linguistic and cultural levels. This
analysis thus seeks to define this concept, its function, and its role at the national level,
recognizing that it is merely a linguistic component of the norm, which, before it, had
delineated the linguistic and literary field of good usage in the 17th century. From this
observation, the analysis we propose leads us to reflect on the history of the linguistic and
then literary creation of the norm, from the publication of the first grammars in the 16th
century to the present day. In terms of “nation”, we will address the national(ist) role of this
invention. Finally, we will attempt to reassess its relevance considering the current
importance of the Francophonie.