New French language laws in Quebec come into force today prohibiting the sale of English-only video games if a French version is available
( Read more... )
As someone who broadly agrees with everything that you said here, and who tends to be in favour of working things out in the marketplace, especially when the law of unintended consequences is so likely to rear its ugly head, AND as someone who has noticed that the chorus so far primarily supports the idea that these laws are wrong, I feel that it behoves someone to try to make an argument in the other direction.
I have no read the laws, but the headline and summary of the article seems to point to a different rule from the one that we're all talking about. "English-only is forbidden" is very different from "English only is forbidden IF A FRENCH VERSION EXISTS" which is what the story says the law is.
If the French version is not available for 6 weeks after the English version will I be allowed to sell the English version for the first six weeks? The story does not make this clear.
Quebec is an island of French in a sea of English. English as a language is clearly winning (something Patrick and I are very aware of, given how over in Asia, people are learning English as a second language to speak to each other rather than learning each other's language). Without distortions and protections it is highly likely that French would be flooded out of Quebec, especially Montreal within a generation or two. This is what was happening in the 60s and 70s it got slowed down by the language laws and by Anglo fleeing Montreal (which had the effect of also damaging the economy severely).
Assuming that you think that the laws work, the need to be updated for contemporary society and culture.
The issue with a bunch of Anglos crowing about how the French should just let the marketplace work is that we know what'll happen if we let the marketplace work. Companies save money by releasing english-only games, Francophones learn english to play them, French dies a little further. From their point of view this is a market failure and so laws need to be put into place to correct for it.
I have no read the laws, but the headline and summary of the article seems to point to a different rule from the one that we're all talking about. "English-only is forbidden" is very different from "English only is forbidden IF A FRENCH VERSION EXISTS" which is what the story says the law is.
If the French version is not available for 6 weeks after the English version will I be allowed to sell the English version for the first six weeks? The story does not make this clear.
Quebec is an island of French in a sea of English. English as a language is clearly winning (something Patrick and I are very aware of, given how over in Asia, people are learning English as a second language to speak to each other rather than learning each other's language). Without distortions and protections it is highly likely that French would be flooded out of Quebec, especially Montreal within a generation or two. This is what was happening in the 60s and 70s it got slowed down by the language laws and by Anglo fleeing Montreal (which had the effect of also damaging the economy severely).
Assuming that you think that the laws work, the need to be updated for contemporary society and culture.
The issue with a bunch of Anglos crowing about how the French should just let the marketplace work is that we know what'll happen if we let the marketplace work. Companies save money by releasing english-only games, Francophones learn english to play them, French dies a little further. From their point of view this is a market failure and so laws need to be put into place to correct for it.
Reply
Leave a comment