France upgrades Alsatian with regional language office
Published: Thursday, Nov 16th 2023, 17:20
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Alsatian, the dialect spoken in the French regions of Alsace and Moselle on the German border, is to be upgraded. A public office for the regional language will be created by June next year, announced Frédéric Bierry, President of the European Regional Authority of Alsace, in Strasbourg. The office will also work across borders with partners in Germany and Switzerland to promote the regional language. Offices for regional languages already exist in France for Corsican and Basque, among others.
The regional authority wants to play a leading role in supporting the new office. The budget for bilingualism and the promotion of the regional language is to be increased from two million euros, which the Ministry of Education already provides for bilingualism in schools, to four million euros, Bierry said, as reported by the newspaper "Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace". The money is to be used to promote the dialect in extracurricular activities, but also for the introduction of bilingual signage, for example at the entrances to towns. More needs to be done to preserve the roots and history of Alsace, Bierry said.
Alsace is also fighting for more independence beyond the language. In 2016, the former regions of Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardennes were united to form the new Grand Est region. As a result, Alsace practically ceased to exist at an administrative level, which was met with much criticism. As a result, the European Regional Authority was created in 2021 with special rights, for example in cooperation with Germany. Following the return to France after the First World War, numerous German legal and social regulations were retained in the border region, which are enshrined in a local law for Alsace and Moselle.
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