« Le premier livre d’une nation est le dictionnaire de sa langue » (Volney)

This article aims at pinpointing the links between language and nation, language and State and language and social group. The author studies in particular the headwords langue and nation in Boiste’s and Poitevin’s dictionaries and in some contemporary dictionaries. It appears that languages express in a specific worldview. In this regard, the role of dictionaries is fundamental because they help to blend lexicon and society. Finally, the notion of “exicultural patriotism” is introduced, in order to show this interpenetration.