Editing Alsace (section)

===Language===
[[File:Linguistic Map of Alsace.svg|thumb|220px|left|Spatial distribution of dialects in Alsace prior to the expansion of [[standard French]] in the 20th century]]
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Dominique speaking Alsatian.webm|thumb|An Alsatian dialect speaker, recorded in [[France]]]]
Although German dialects were spoken in Alsace for most of its history, the dominant language in Alsace today is French.

The traditional language of the ''région'' is [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]], an [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] dialect of [[Upper German]] spoken on both sides of the Rhine and closely related to [[Swiss German]]. Some [[Frankish language|Frankish]] dialects of [[West Central German]] are also spoken in "Alsace Bossue" and in the extreme north of Alsace. [[Language policy in France|As is customary]] for [[regional language]]s in France, neither Alsatian nor the Frankish dialects have any form of official status, although both are now recognized as [[languages of France]] and can be chosen as subjects in [[lycées]].

Although Alsace has been part of France multiple times in the past, the region had no direct connection with the French state for several centuries. From the end of the Roman Empire (5th century) to the French annexation (17th century), Alsace was politically part of the German world.

During the [[Protestant Reformation|Lutheran Reform]], the towns of Alsace were the first to adopt the German language as their official language instead of [[Latin]]. It was in Strasbourg that German was first used for the liturgy. It was also in Strasbourg that the first German Bible was published in 1466.

From the annexation of Alsace by France in the 17th century and the language policy of the French Revolution up to 1870, knowledge of French in Alsace increased considerably. With the education reforms of the 19th century, the middle classes began to speak and write French well. The French language never really managed, however, to win over the masses, the vast majority of whom continued to speak their German dialects and write in German (which we would now call "standard German").{{Citation needed|reason=reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=March 2014}}

Between 1870 and 1918, Alsace was annexed by the German Empire in the form of an imperial province or Reichsland, and the mandatory official language, especially in schools, became High German. French lost ground to such an extent that it has been estimated that only 2% of the population spoke French fluently, and only 8% had some knowledge of it (Maugue, 1970).

After 1918, French was the only language used in schools, particularly primary schools. After much argument and discussion and after many temporary measures, a memorandum was issued by Vice-Chancellor Pfister in 1927 and governed education in primary schools until 1939.

During a reannexation by Germany (1940–1945), High German was reinstated as the language of education. The population was forced to speak German and 'French' family names were Germanized. Following the Second World War, the 1927 regulation was not reinstated, and the teaching of German in primary schools was suspended by a provisional rectorial decree, which was supposed to enable French to regain lost ground. The teaching of German became a major issue, however, as early as 1946. After World War II, the French government pursued, in line with its traditional [[language policy in France|language policy]], a campaign to suppress the use of German as part of a wider [[Francization]] campaign. The local [[Alsatian dialect|German dialect]] was rendered a backward regional "Germanic" dialect not being attached to German.<ref>{{cite book|first=Peter|last=von Polenz|year=1999|title= Deutsche Sprachgeschichte vom Spätmittelalter bis zur Gegenwart|volume= Band III: 19. und 20. Jahrhundert|place= Berlin/New York.|pages=165}}</ref>

In 1951, Article 10 of the [[Deixonne Law]] (''Loi Deixonne'') on the teaching of local languages and dialects made provision for [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]] and old [[Provençal (dialect)|Provençal]] but not for [[Corsican language|Corsican]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ([[West Flemish]]) or Alsatian in Alsace and [[Moselle (department)|Moselle]]. However, in a Decree of 18 December 1952, supplemented by an Order of 19 December of the same year, optional teaching of the German language was introduced in elementary schools in communes in which the language of habitual use was the Alsatian dialect.

In 1972, the Inspector General of German, Georges Holderith, obtained authorization to reintroduce German into 33 intermediate classes on an experimental basis. This teaching of German, referred to as the Holderith Reform, was later extended to all pupils in the last two years of elementary school. This reform is still largely the basis of German teaching (but not Alsatian) in elementary schools today.

It was not until 9 June 1982, with the ''Circulaire sur la langue et la culture régionales en Alsace'' (Memorandum on regional language and culture in Alsace) issued by the Vice-Chancellor of the Académie Pierre Deyon, that the teaching of German in primary schools in Alsace really began to be given more official status. The Ministerial Memorandum of 21 June 1982, known as the Circulaire Savary, introduced financial support, over three years, for the teaching of regional languages in schools and universities. This memorandum was, however, implemented in a fairly lax manner.

Both Alsatian and Standard German were for a time banned from public life (including street and city names, official administration, and educational system). Though the ban has long been lifted and street signs today are often bilingual, Alsace–Lorraine is today predominantly French in language and culture. Few young people speak Alsatian today, although there do still exist one or two enclaves in the [[Sundgau]] region where some older inhabitants cannot speak French, and where Alsatian is still used as the mother tongue. A related [[Alemannic German]] survives on the opposite bank of the Rhine, in [[Baden]], and especially in Switzerland. However, while French is the major language of the region, the Alsatian dialect of French is heavily influenced by German and other languages such as Yiddish in phonology and vocabulary.

This situation has spurred a movement to preserve the Alsatian language, which is perceived as endangered, a situation paralleled in other ''régions'' of France, such as [[Brittany]] or [[Occitania]]. Alsatian is now taught in French high schools. Increasingly, French is the only language used at home and at work, and a growing number of people have a good knowledge of [[standard German]] as a foreign language learned in school.

The constitution of the Fifth Republic states that French alone is the official language of the Republic. However, Alsatian, along with other regional languages, are recognized by the French government in the official list of languages of France.

Although the French government signed the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] in 1992, it never ratified the treaty and therefore no legal basis exists for any of the regional languages in France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/societe/2015/06/05/31003-20150605ARTFIG00157-charte-europeenne-des-langues-regionales-hollande-nourrit-la-guerre-contre-le-francais.php|title=Charte européenne des langues régionales : Hollande nourrit la guerre contre le français|work=Le Figaro|date=5 June 2015}}</ref> However, visitors to Alsace can see indications of renewed political and cultural interest in the language – in Alsatian signs appearing in car-windows and on hoardings, and in new official bilingual street signs in Strasbourg and Mulhouse.

A 1999 INSEE survey, included in the 1999 Census, the majority of the population in Alsace speak [[French Language|French]] as their first language, 39.0% (or 500,000 people) of the population speak [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]], 16.2% (or 208,000 people) speak [[German Language|German]], 75,200 people speak [[English Language|English]] (or 5.9%) and 27,600 people speak [[Italian Language|Italian]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=www.epsilon.insee.fr/jspui/bitstream/1/2294/1/cpar12_1.pdf, L'alsacien, deuxième langue régionale de France|publisher=INSEE|date=December 2002|pages=3}}</ref>

The survey counted 548,000 adult speakers of Alsatian in France, making it the second most-spoken regional language in the country (after [[Occitan language|Occitan]]). Like all regional languages in France, however, the transmission of Alsatian is on the decline. While 39% of the adult population of Alsace speak Alsatian, only one in four children speak it, and only one in ten children uses it regularly.