Indicator history

Regional languages (defined as “languages that have been spoken in some parts of the country longer than French”) or dialects spoken on the French territory are not recognised as minority languages. However, the reform of 21 July 2008 has introduced a new article in the Constitution, stating that “regional languages are part of France’s heritage". Publications in regional languages enjoy the same advantages as those in French, including reduced tax and postal charges, targeted assistance for regional weeklies, etc. Concerning radio and television, the law of 5 March 2009 also stipulated that public radios and TV channels have to contribute to the expression of regional languages. Compliance is very uneven, with the use of regional languages ranging from a few minutes to several hours a day, depending on the language, the broadcaster and on whether programmes are on radio or TV. Overall, every day, several hundreds of programmes in a dozen regional languages are broadcasted in France, particularly in the overseas départements.