Robin Adamson is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, working on contemporary French language. For many years she was Director of the Centre for Applied Language Studies at the University of Dundee, where she worked mainly in the fields of second language acquisition, communicative language teaching and discourse analysis, and also contributed extensively to the new generation of university textbooks such as Le français en faculté. She became an officier in the Ordre des palmes académiques in 1989. Her interest in the defence of French springs from a lifelong passion for the language and the discovery that among her Scottish ancestors are several who died defending France.

"This book is a unique and fascinating contribution to the field of French language studies and French language policy in particular. In a compelling and eminently readable style, it unravels the complexities of the interplay between politics, power, language and identity played out in the name of the defence of French. It is a richly textured, probing and wide-ranging investigation into the state of French, its past, present and possible future." Linda M. Hartley, University of Dundee, UK"

• List of Tables Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Defending French: A Story of Love and Power Chapter 2: The Dynamics of Defence: Some Contemporary Themes and Trends Chapter 3: Official Agencies: The Language of Power Chapter 4: Language and Politics: Inseparable Partners Chapter 5: Languages in Europe: How does France Compare? Chapter 6: Problems and Paradoxes; Interference and Interaction Conclusion Endnotes References

Robin Adamson is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, working on contemporary French language. For many years she was Director of the Centre for Applied Language Studies at the University of Dundee, where she worked mainly in the fields of second language acquisition, communicative language teaching and discourse analysis, and also contributed extensively to the new generation of university textbooks such as Le français en faculté. She became an officier in the Ordre des palmes académiques in 1989. Her interest in the defence of French springs from a lifelong passion for the language and the discovery that among her Scottish ancestors are several who died defending France.

"This book is a unique and fascinating contribution to the field of French language studies and French language policy in particular. In a compelling and eminently readable style, it unravels the complexities of the interplay between politics, power, language and identity played out in the name of the defence of French. It is a richly textured, probing and wide-ranging investigation into the state of French, its past, present and possible future." Linda M. Hartley, University of Dundee, UK"

• List of Tables Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Defending French: A Story of Love and Power Chapter 2: The Dynamics of Defence: Some Contemporary Themes and Trends Chapter 3: Official Agencies: The Language of Power Chapter 4: Language and Politics: Inseparable Partners Chapter 5: Languages in Europe: How does France Compare? Chapter 6: Problems and Paradoxes; Interference and Interaction Conclusion Endnotes References

Robin Adamson is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, working on contemporary French language. For many years she was Director of the Centre for Applied Language Studies at the University of Dundee, where she worked mainly in the fields of second language acquisition, communicative language teaching and discourse analysis, and also contributed extensively to the new generation of university textbooks such as Le français en faculté. She became an officier in the Ordre des palmes académiques in 1989. Her interest in the defence of French springs from a lifelong passion for the language and the discovery that among her Scottish ancestors are several who died defending France.

"This book is a unique and fascinating contribution to the field of French language studies and French language policy in particular. In a compelling and eminently readable style, it unravels the complexities of the interplay between politics, power, language and identity played out in the name of the defence of French. It is a richly textured, probing and wide-ranging investigation into the state of French, its past, present and possible future." Linda M. Hartley, University of Dundee, UK"

• List of Tables Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Defending French: A Story of Love and Power Chapter 2: The Dynamics of Defence: Some Contemporary Themes and Trends Chapter 3: Official Agencies: The Language of Power Chapter 4: Language and Politics: Inseparable Partners Chapter 5: Languages in Europe: How does France Compare? Chapter 6: Problems and Paradoxes; Interference and Interaction Conclusion Endnotes References