ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the symbolic boundaries and the related struggles of distinction concerning the European Commission’s working languages. Coming from different countries, European Commission officials speak different native languages. To work together, they have to agree on one (or a few) common languages. In the European Commission, English and French are considered the two main working languages. This chapter describes how symbolic boundaries are drawn between those who seek to adopt English as the sole working language of the Commission, and those who prefer a balance between English and French. English is often supported because of its “instrumental value,” enabling effective communication with as many people as possible, while French is often legitimized with reference to its “symbolic value” as an expression of cultural diversity. Overall, interviewees from France and Romance-speaking countries often prefer the continued use of French, entailing the symbolic struggles over the Commission’s linguistic regime that will be described in this chapter.
