BACKGROUND TO FRENCH-LANGUAGE POLICY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE MEDIA

The aim of this article is to present the background and the strategie s of French language policy and its impact on the media. The high poin t to date of language-protectionist efforts, Law 94-668 of August 1994 (loi Toubon), must be seen within the concert of a series of developm ents whose roots have their origins in a time predating the French Rev olution. Today, language policy also interferes with the language used on radio and TV - as per decree, lists of specialist French words des igned as a replacement for Anglicisms are drawn up. More far-reaching aims originally intended by the loi Toubon, which were targeted specif ically at the media, had to be abandoned after a complaint about infri ngement of the Constitution. Language policy and media policy are inex tricably linked in France. This is also apparent from the political st rategies employed to elevate French interests to a European plane. Ana lysing this process offers a theoretically based insight into French m edia policy in general.