Professor Michael Worton,

M. le Sous-Directeur du Français, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Professors of French Studies and representatives of academic associations and societies of French Studies.

Friends,

French Studies in the UK covers a vast range of research. It includes, of course, French and Francophone literature from the Middle Ages until the present day, but it also includes research on theatre, cinema, the media and cultural studies; French linguistics and studies of the French language; medieval and modern Occitan language, politics in France and in Francophone countries and the sociology and history of those countries. Researchers in French Studies also do important research in postcolonial studies, gender studies, and studies of philosophy and French thought. Additionally, the discipline makes a significant contribution to research in comparative literature and to our understanding of the relationship between literature and the other arts (for instance, on word and image interactions). Other important areas covered by French Studies are translation and the development and analysis of the pedagogy of the French language.

The results of the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 give a very positive picture of research in French Studies at the national level. Out of 33 French Studies units assessed, 17 obtained a ranking that put them in the 3* and 4* quality levels (i.e. ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’).

A Subject None the Less in Difficulties

Paradoxically, in spite of the overall excellent quality of French Studies, there is an ongoing decrease in the number of students studying French and a decrease in the number of posts available for teachers and researchers. Over the past decade, the number of both undergraduate and postgraduate students has declined. The 1990s began with a record demand for the study of languages at undergraduate level, with French being the language most sought after. However, since then, there has been an ongoing decline in the learning and languages in general. The number of students of French has decreased, although less so than that of students of German, for example: indeed, in recent years, the number of students studying French has more or less stabilised. The number of students studying Spanish has dramatically increased over the same period, but now seems also to be stabilising, and other languages (for example, Chinese and Arabic) are increasingly popular.