ABSTRACT
To summarise the various elements of this study, let us return to the research questions. The first question asked how languages were represented in articles, commentary and retweets. Findings showed that the English articles depict English as a humanised, international language that is necessary for business and French as a marginalised, overly policed language. In the French articles, there is little discussion of the English language, and most references to French pertained to the current and proposed changes to language policy in Quebec. English commentators sometimes objected to the interpretations of Quebec’s language situation, but mostly there was a large degree of unanimity in negative representations of the Pastagate affair. While French commentators often expressed embarrassment over the actions of the OQLF, there still seemed to be a consensus that the French language needs to be protected – both from incursions from other languages and from a general linguistic decline from the ‘standard’. In contrast, many English comments indicate a lack of consensus over the issue of French language endangerment.
