1 Introduction

France has abundant language resources, including 75 local languages, but in history, the development of local languages has been limited in order to maintain the dominant position of French. In recent years, France has begun to attach importance to the revival of local languages in order to protect linguistic diversity. Language policy and planning is the field of systematic planning for language code and usage, involving status planning, ontology planning, and acquisition planning. This article takes Breton as an example to explore the practice of local language policy and planning in France, and analyzes its progress and challenges in language revival and protection.

Overview of Local Languages in France

French regional languages refer to the local or minority languages used by French citizens on the territory of the Republic, as well as unofficial languages, including regional and non territorial languages. Local languages are divided into indigenous and overseas territorial languages. The Dyksona Law and the Hobbit Law are important laws related to the revival of local languages. There are differences between local languages, dialects, and dialects, but the boundaries are not clear. With the stable status of French, local languages have been impacted and some are facing extinction. In the 17th century, there were 636 local languages, but currently only 75 survive. The survey in 1999 showed that 26% of the French can speak local languages, while the survey in 2011 showed that 86% of the French only speak French, and the use of local languages is decreasing, which is related to the policies and measures of the government and local authorities.

3. Historical Changes in French Local Language Policies and Planning

The historical changes in French local language policies and planning have gone through a process from strict restrictions to gradual relaxation. In the early days, France adopted a policy of suppressing local languages under the pretext of maintaining national unity, such as the Villecotre Decree and the language policy during the Great Revolution, which established the official status of French. In the second half of the 20th century, facing the challenges of English hegemony and cultural diversity, France began to support the protection and revival of local languages.

4 Brittany Language Policy, Planning and Development Status

Breton is a Celtic language family of the Brittany region in northwestern France, with a long history. However, after the French Revolution, it was severely suppressed, resulting in a decrease in users and a serious aging population. After the 1980s, the French government and Breton authorities took a series of measures to promote the revival and development of the Breton language. In terms of status planning, Breton language has gradually emerged in public services and media audiovisual fields, such as bilingual signage, public service documents, television and radio programs, etc. In terms of ontology planning, Breton language has been protected and developed through publication and standardization reforms of new terminology, such as the Modern Breton Dictionary and the online vocabulary search website TermBret. In terms of acquisition planning, French Breton bilingual education has been implemented, involving over 18000 students from more than 180 townships and 570 schools, with the number of learners increasing year by year. But currently, the number of people who speak Breton language is mainly concentrated in those over 60 years old, and the number of learners aged 15-40 is relatively small. The road to the revival of Breton language still faces challenges.

5 Conclusion

France protects local languages through legal means, improves their social status, and encourages the learning of local languages through educational system reforms. Despite the achievements, local languages still face challenges such as inadequate ontology planning and aging users. Innovative models are needed to encourage inheritance, create a multilingual environment, improve the effectiveness of local languages, and prevent their extinction.