The status of French as a second language. About the evolution of the places and languages of publication of Quebec, French and German researchers
Since the end of the Second World War, the spread of knowledge in the disciplines of the natural and medical sciences has been dominated by English. However, in the social sciences and humanities, national languages are generally considered to be much more determining, given the more localized focus of the subjects of these disciplines. To better understand the evolution of the place of English in these disciplines, this article analyzes, for Quebec, French and German researchers, the language in which the journals and articles of these disciplines are disseminated, the effect of the language on the reception of works and, finally, the relationship between the journal’s country of origin and the national aspect of the objects of study. Our results show the rise of English for each of the three countries, in all domains and even in national journals, greatest visibility for works published in English, and a strong relationship between national journals and national subjects, particularly in Quebec. The article concludes with a discussion of the causes and consequences of the phenomenon.