Regional Dossier series
The Corsican language in education in France (3rd Edition)
Jean-Marie Arrighi
Published online: February 2024
Highlights
- Over half of children in pre-school and primary education in Corsica receive bilingual French-Corsican education, and their numbers have considerably increased since the 1990s.
- Corsican as a subject is compulsory in pre-school and primary education, and over half of pupils in lower secondary school choose Corsican as a subject.
- While most young people have limited to advanced skills in Corsican thanks to education, the transmission of the language within families is extremely low.
- Corsican is in serious danger of ceasing to be a vernacular language in everyday social life.
- The French State and the Corsican public authority have agreed on robust language policies, the implementation of which is still to be completed in the educational domain.
Corsican and its status in education in France
On the French island of Corsica, it is estimated that roughly a quarter to a third of the population can speak the Corsican language well, while over half can understand it. The language is officially recognised by the French Constitution as belonging to the heritage of France. Over the past 25 years, several laws, decrees, regulations, and policies have gradually strengthened the institutional support for the Corsican language. Today, French-Corsican bilingual education is most prevalent in pre-school (reaching 59% of all pre-school children in Corsica) and primary school (51%), dropping to 26% in lower secondary education (French: collège), after which bilingual education is virtually non-existent. Corsican is a mandatory subject in pre-school (3 hours per week) and primary school (typically 1.5–3 hours), while this is optional for students in secondary education and beyond (59% choose Corsican in lower secondary education and 13% in higher secondary education, with instruction for 3 hours per week).
Corsican in educational research
The University of Corsica in Corte offers a complete study programme that specialises in Corsican language and culture. Research projects are typically set up as collaborations between the University of Corsica and the National Higher Institute for Teaching and Education (Institut national supérieur de l’enseignement et de l’éducation – INSPE) in Corsica, and/or the National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – CNRS). Important linguistic and sociolinguistic studies have focused on the polynomic character of the Corsican language, that is, the way in which language users accept and embrace linguistic variation as a feature of Corsican, avoiding imposed standardisation. The didactical implications of this phenomenon have also been the subject of educational research.
Prospects for Corsican in France
Corsican is at risk of disappearing as a language actively and commonly used in daily life due to the very low level of transmission of the language from (grand)parents to children. In contrast, the passive knowledge of Corsican is secured for the foreseeable future thanks to education. Language policies negotiated between the French state and the Corsican public authority have so far only been partially implemented in the education system. Full implementation would strengthen the societal position of Corsican, but whether Corsican is re-appropriated as a vernacular language in social life depends not only on political decisions, but also very much on speakers’ individual choices.
U corsu è u so statutu in l’educazioni in Francia
In l’isula francesa di Corsica, saranu trà un quartu è un terzu di a ghjenti quilli chì u corsu u sanu parlà bè, mentri ch’elli sò assai di più di a mità quilli chì u ponu capiscia. Hè ricunnisciuta a lingua da a custituzioni francesa cum’è parti di u patrimoniu di a Francia. Parechji legi, dicreti, rigulamenti è dicisioni pulitichi, masimu da un quartu di seculu, anu fattu crescia à pocu à pocu u sustegnu stituziunali à a lingua corsa. Oghji u insignamentu bislinguu francesu è corsu hè u più prisenti in iscola materna (colla à 59% di i sculari di st’età) è à a scola primaria (51%). Dopu cala finu à 26% in culleghju è po in liceu insignamentu bislinguu ùn ci ni hè guasi più. A lingua corsa cum’è disciplina insignata hè d’obligu in a scola materna (3 ori à sittimana) è in a scola primaria (pà u più da una ora è mezu à trè ori) mentri ch’ella hè facultativa pà i sculari di sicondu gradu è dopu (59% sceglinu u corsu in culleghju è 13% in liceu : 3 ori à sittimana).
U corsu ind’a ricerca in educazioni
Pruponi l’Università di Corsica in Corti un prugramma sanu di studii ind’a spicialità Lingua è cultura corsa. I prughjetti di ricerca u più si facinu in cumunu trà l’Università di Corsica è l’Istitutu naziunali supiriori di u Insignamentu è di l’Educazioni (INSPE) di Corsica è/o u Centru naziunali di z ricerca scentifica (CNRS). Studii linguistichi è suciolinguistichi di primura si sò purtati ver di u carattaru pulinomicu di a lingua corsa, veni à dì u modu ch’elli accettanu i lucutori di a lingua, è adopranu, a variazioni linguistica cum’è una caratteristica di u corsu, chì ferma alluntanatu da una standardizazioni imposta. I cunsiquenzi didattichi d’issa scelta l’anu studiati dinò assai i ricerchi pidagogichi.
Perspettivi per a lingua corsa in Francia
U corsu hè in piriculu di spariscia cum’è lingua aduprata di modu attivu è rigulari ind’a vita d’ogni ghjornu, par via di a poca trasmissioni in famiglia da i parenti è i missiavi è minnanni à i zitelli, Una cunniscenza minima di a lingua hè assicurata quantunqua ind’un tempu vicinu da a scola. I pulitichi linguistichi niguziati trà u Statu è l’auturità pulitica corsa finu ad avà ùn sò missi in prattica, cà in parti, à u livellu educativu. S’elli si fessinu tutti tutti, darianu forza à a pusizioni di u corsu ind’a vita suciali. Ma u riacquistu di u corsu cum’è lingua cuttidiana, u faranu micca I dicisioni pulitichi soli, ma i scelti individuali d’ogni lucutori.
Statut de la langue corse dans l’enseignement en France
Sur l’île française de Corse, environ un quart à un tiers de la population serait capable de bien parler le corse, tandis que bien plus de la moitié peut le comprendre. La langue est reconnue par la Constitution française comme appartenant au patrimoine de la France. Plusieurs lois, décrets, règlements et décisions politiques, notamment au cours du dernier quart de siècle, ont progressivement renforcé le soutien institutionnel à la langue corse. Aujourd’hui, l’enseignement bilingue français-corse est le plus répandu à l’école pré élémentaire (atteignant 59% de tous les enfants d’âge préélémentaire en Corse) et à l’école primaire (51%), tombant à 26% au collège, après quoi l’enseignement bilingue français-corse est pratiquement inexistant. La langue corse en tant que matière étudiée est obligatoire à l’école maternelle (3h par semaine) et à l’école primaire (généralement 1h30 à 3h), alors qu’elle est facultative pour les élèves du secondaire et au-delà (59% choisissent le corse au collège, 13% au Lycée ; 3h par semaine).
Recherche à propos de l’enseignement de la langue corse
L’Université de Corse à Corte propose un programme d’études complet spécialisé en langue et culture corses. Les projets de recherche sont généralement mis en place dans le cadre d’une collaboration entre l’Université de Corse et l’Institut national supérieur de l’enseignement et de l’éducation (INSPE) de Corse et/ou le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). D’importantes études linguistiques et sociolinguistiques se sont concentrées sur le caractère polynomique de la langue corse, c’est-à-dire la manière dont les locuteurs de la langue acceptent et adoptent la variation linguistique comme une caractéristique du corse, qui reste éloigné l’standardisation imposée. Les implications didactiques de ce phénomène ont également fait l’objet de recherches pédagogiques.
Perspectives pour la langue corse en France
Le corse risque de disparaître en tant que langue activement et couramment utilisée dans la vie quotidienne, en raison du très faible niveau de transmission familiale de la langue, des parents et grands-parents aux enfants. En revanche, une connaissance minimale du corse est assurée dans un avenir proche grâce à l’Ecole. Les politiques linguistiques négociées entre l’État français et l’autorité publique corse n’ont jusqu’à présent été mises en œuvre que partiellement, au niveau éducatif. Une mise en œuvre complète renforcerait la position du corse dans la vie sociale, mais la réappropriation du corse comme langue véhiculaire dépend non seulement des décisions politiques, mais aussi dans une large mesure des choix individuels des locuteurs.
About this Regional Dossier
Author biography
Jean-Marie Arrighi (Ajaccio, 1951) is a former student of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud and has an agrégation in classics. From 1989 to 2016, he held the position of academy inspector – regional pedagogical inspector (inspecteur d’académie – inspecteur pédagogique regional) in charge of the Corsican language. He is the author of several works on the Corsican language and history, in particular on the 18th century and the Corsican State of Paoli.
Previous editions
The first edition (2000) of this Regional Dossier was written by Jacques Fusina (Université de Corse Pascal Paoli) and the second edition (2012) by Jean-Marie Arrighi.