Chapter 7: Linguistic Implications that Aid or Undermine National Unification: In France and the Former Yugoslavia

France is a well-established nation-state frequently referenced in language policy research (Gillo, 1989; Hélot & Young, 2006; Martel, 2008; Raijman, Davidov, Scmidt, & Hochman, 2008). Yugoslavia, on the other hand, is not nearly as infamous for its ambiguous linguistic policy as it is for its elaborate historical dilemmas (Hélot, 2003, p. 255; Watchtel, 1998, p. 10). A prototype of contemporary French language ideology began to emerge as early as the seventeenth century, as patois became a public debate among the high-status public (Grillo, 1989, p. 24). Many of the problems within France particularly comprised the southern region and the Occitan regional languages or the northern standards, “Langue d’Oïl,” as opposed to the southern regional dialects, “Langue d’Óc” (Ager, 1999, p. 15). In congruence, the former Yugoslavia inhabited many national questions, including linguistic unification, despite its pre-established constituent regions (Rogel, 1994, p. 13; Wachtel, 1998, p. 28). Furthermore, the constituent state of Slovenia was in a particularly singular position throughout the emergence of Yugoslav national image due to its highly developed literacy initiatives, linguistic exclusivism, and educational autonomy, providing, eventually, a quick secession (Čopič & Tomc, 2000, p. 48; Dolenc, 2006, pp. 481-483). These two regions or state constituents were the subjects of many similar national questions, and although they are in many ways contextually different, their internal movements of isolation and autonomy, and external pressures of marginalization and stratification provide a useful base for comparison.