English in French print advertising from 1999 to 2007

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study supplements previous research on the use of English in French print advertising with a diachronic and quantitative analysis of its evolution over an eight‐year period. Despite France's long tradition of linguistic protectionism, language laws aimed at restricting the use of English have shaped the language of advertising in France, resulting into greater bilingual creativity. The evolution of the use of English as an attention‐getter and as an incentive to purchase commercial products in France is examined from a socio‐linguistic perspective. Results indicate an increase in the previously documented association of English with positive concepts such as technological advance, reliability, business efficiency, and sophistication. There is also evidence that advertisers using English in their ads no longer primarily resort to North American landscapes to convey an impression of exoticism, but to a variety of other global images, suggesting that one growing function of English in French print advertising is that of a purely linguistic tool of communication (i.e. a lingua franca) favoring cultural and business exchanges in a linguistically diverse global world.

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