The role of English in shaping contemporary French academic vocabulary: a sociolinguistic analysis

Abstract

This study investigates how English influences the formation of academic French vocabulary in the field of education across Francophone regions (France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and West Africa). We review sociolinguistic and policy literature on lexical borrowing and language globalization and compile data on English‐derived terms and semantic anglicisms in educational discourse. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyze examples of English borrowings (e.g. e-learning, MOOC, coaching, manager) drawn from curricula, academic publications and media, and compare usage across different Francophone contexts. We also consider attitudes toward anglicisms (e.g. survey data from Quebec students). Our results show that English has supplied numerous new terms in educational French, sometimes with adapted meanings. For instance, notions like e-learning (fr. formation en ligne) or manager (fr. gestionnaire) appear widely, reflecting globalized pedagogy. Semantic shifts are common (e.g. Fr. support in education vs. Eng. support). English borrowings remain pervasive despite language laws: France’s Toubon Law (1994) officially bans Anglicisms in legislation, yet English terms persist in academic contexts; in Québec, Bill 101 (1977) and Institut nounformulations (e.g. courriel for “email”) explicitly resist English influence. A literature review and corpus analysis (with sample data tables) reveal trends in English‐origin terminology, adaptations, and regional variation. We discuss how globalization drives lexical borrowing, and how language policy and community attitudes mediate the impact of English on French academic lexicon. Findings suggest that English borrowings in education are likely to grow, as scholars note they have become “necessary in modern French”. These insights inform language planners and educators about the dynamics of anglicisms in Francophone higher education.