2019

This photo, taken at the Sans Souci McDonald's in Lyon, demonstrates the growing usage of English in France, both by individuals and, as exemplified by this photo, by businesses. For over a century now, France, like most other nations of the world, has been effected by the process of Americanization – the term used to describe the cultural, political, and economic influence exerted by the United States on the cultures of foreign countries. American pop culture (movies, television, music, etc.) has long been a catalyst for the spread of American culture around the world, but this process has been accelerated within only the last decade or so by the rise of the internet and a generation that, having grown up with it, had more access to American pop culture than any other generation that had preceded it. Due to their larger operating budgets, American films, television shows, and music videos are often flashier and perhaps more aesthetically pleasing than their foreign counterparts, often resulting in things being seen as cool or trendy, especially among the young, simply by virtue of their being American. A direct consequence of Americanization has been the vastly increased learning and usage of the English language among French people. In this photo taken at McDonald's (a restaurant whose popularity in France and around the world is itself a testament to Americanization), a sign at the register reads in large, all-capitalized letters "EASY ORDER" in English, with the French "retrait des commandes" in smaller, lowercase letters underneath. Behind this sign, one finds an advertisement for McDonald's chicken sandwiches with the tagline "Chicken Forever," which the French translation ("poulet toujours") not even being provided.