France tries to halt march of English

[Treffie]

Government picks new French phrases to replace anglophone buzzwords

Rumours, or crazes, which sweep through the French-language internet – or "la toile" – should no longer be known as "le buzz". They should in future be called "le ramdam", which may be Arabic but at least is not English. Similarly, the practice of souping up or "pimping" cars should no longer be known to French teenagers as "le tuning". It should be referred to as "le bolidage" from the French slang word for a high-powered car, "le bolide" (literally a fire-ball or meteorite).

France's Canute-like efforts to prevent the French language from being invaded by modern English terminology entered a new phase yesterday. The government announced the results of its first open competition, among schoolchildren and students, to identify French-sounding terms for 21st-century phenomena.

The winning entries will be taken up by the 18 ministerial committees which already exist to invent, and promote, French neologisms to drive out anglicisms. If given formal approval, they will be published in the Journal Officiel of the French Republic. All public servants will then be ordered to use the words in the hope, or expectation, that they will enter the everyday language.

Five terms for innovations, or obsessions, of the internet generation were put out to open competition by the French secretariat for the French-speaking world in February. What should the correct French be for "le buzz" and "le tuning"? How about "le talk" as in "talk radio"? Or "le chat" as in an internet "chatroom"? Or "le newsletter"?

A committee of judges, including the internationally successful French rapper (or rather "rappeur") MC Solaar, reached rapid decisions on the first two words.

They decided that "buzz" should be "ramdam" – proposed by Elodie Dufour-Merle, a student at the University of Aix-Marseille. It is the Arab term for the cacophony when fasting ends at nightfall during the Ramadam religious festival. "[It] was the unanimous choice," MC Solaar said. "It brought to mind the idea of the 'Arab telephone' – information that is in the ether."

"Tuning", they decided, should be "bolidage", invented by a journalism student from Lyons, Charles Fontaine.

A short list emerged for each of the other three words and the winners were announced yesterday. "Talk" might have been "cacoforum", "causerie" or "debatel" but ended up rather uninspiringly as "débat". "Chat" might have been "bavardage", or "papotage" but the joint winners were "éblabla" and "tchatche". For "newsletter", the judges considered "niouzlettre", "plinfo", "inforiel", "jourriel" and "journiel" but chose "infolettre".

Students who sent in successful entries were promised placements in French cultural missions abroad.

Contrary to popular belief, new terminology for the French language is not invented by the Académie Française, although that august body does advise the 18 ministerial "committees of terminology and neologisms".

Some of the hundreds of officially concocted terms have successfully entered the language of Racine, Molière and Proust. "Logiciel" for software is now common. So are "mondialisation" for globalisation and "voyagiste" for tour operator. Other official suggestions have flopped completely. The lives of French motorists are still saved by "les air bags" not by "les sacs gonflables". French texters still send "les smileys" not "frimousses". They still post "post-its" not "papillons", and they watch "les sitcoms" not "les comédies de situations pour la télévision".

French alternatives: Hits and misses

Officially coined words which stuck:

"Bogue" for "bug"

"Logiciel" for "software"

"Baladeur" for "Walkman"

"Capital risque" for "venture capital"

Officially coined words which flopped:

"Jeune pousse" for "start-up"

"Fouineur" for "hacker"

"Frimousse" for "smiley"

"Presonorisation" for "play-back"

Source (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-tries-to-halt-march-of-english-1931655.html)

[Beorn]

They should in future be called "le ramdam", which may be Arabic but at least is not English.:rotfl:

Good old French. It will do them well to make the bed they share with the Arabs nice and comfortable.

[Cato]

The French would be better served by trying to halt the march of the colored hordes that're invading it..

[Óttar]

The French would be better served by trying to halt the march of the colored hordes that're invading it..
I was about to say, I thought they had finally decided to halt the march of Islam.


They decided that "buzz" should be "ramdam" – proposed by Elodie Dufour-Merle, a student at the University of Aix-Marseille. It is the Arab term for the cacophony when fasting ends at nightfall during the Ramadam religious festival. "[It] was the unanimous choice," MC Solaar said. "It brought to mind the idea of the 'Arab telephone' – information that is in the ether."
Apparently not. :rolleyes:

[Cato]

I wouldn't expect much from any government in regards to stopping the blight of immigration.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Leave to the French government to try to find ways to make it harder to communicate with the rest of the world.

You Brits should retaliate by dropping French sounding spellings such as the extra 'u' in Labour, Colour, etc, 'programme', 'cheque' and so on :thumb001:

[Grumpy Cat]

Some of these words have been used in Canada for years, especially computer terms. As a French-speaking IT worker, I am glad. Talking tech with someone from France can be confusing sometimes.

[Cato]

Leave to the French government to try to find ways to make it harder to communicate with the rest of the world.

You Brits should retaliate by dropping French sounding spellings such as the extra 'u' in Labour, Colour, etc, 'programme', 'cheque' and so on :thumb001:

If this was the way language worked, all of the loan words in English from French, Latin, Spanish, etc. should be dropped and English-speakers made to learn Old English.

These French lingofaggots should understand that language changes and evolves over time. If they're so damn concerned about the purity of language, then they should just go back speaking in [vulgate] Latin.

How can they be so worried about language when the French race of people is under assault? Poofters.

[Grumpy Cat]

So funny people (Anglos) claiming to be for ethnic preservation slagging the French (and other French-speakers such as the Quebecois) for doing just that.

[Cato]

Linguistics = genetics? The sheer stupidity of this rather reminds me of when some idiots in government tried to change the name of French fries/toast, etc. to freedom fries/toast, etc. after 9-11.

[Liffrea]

There are far more words derived from French in the English language than vice-versa……

[Cato]

I think it's just linguistic jingoism, someone with power doesn't like a certain term because it insults his impressions of the national pride, like french fries, and tries to legislate the word out of circulation. Pwah.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Linguistics = genetics? The sheer stupidity of this rather reminds me of when some idiots in government tried to change the name of French fries/toast, etc. to freedom fries/toast, etc. after 9-11.

Eating fries will set you free!

[Cato]

Eating fries will set you free!

Set you free to shuffle off the mortal coil if they're fries from a fast food place. :p

[Beorn]

So funny people (Anglos) claiming to be for ethnic preservation slagging the French (and other French-speakers such as the Quebecois) for doing just that.

I wish them all the best, I sincerely do. "Ramdam" is an apt word for the French to incorporate. Out with European preservation, and in with Arabic preservation.

Makes sense.

[Grumpy Cat]

I wish them all the best, I sincerely do. "Ramdam" is an apt word for the French to incorporate. Out with European preservation, and in with Arabic preservation.

Makes sense.

Who said I was for that? I don't like adopting Arabic words, either.

I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy of Anglos (not English, moreso English-speaking North Americans) who claim to be for cultural preservation but when Francophones make efforts to preserve their culture, whether in Canada or France, they get their panties in a wad over it. For the record, I do support this and I do support things like Bill 101 in Quebec.

This forum is called The Apricity Forum: Cultural & Ethnic European Preservation... language is an important part of a culture, is it not?

[SwordoftheVistula]

language is an important part of a culture, is it not?

I don't think so, really. English has a huge amount of other words in it. Language is just a communication tool in my opinion.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

How would you translate Algebra?????

[Borat Paor]

I don't think so, really. English has a huge amount of other words in it. Language is just a communication tool in my opinion.

So you wouldn't mind Europeans/Americans-of-European-origin all of a sudden adopting Arabic as their language of culture and communication and starting to speak it in everyday life, as long as their "genetics" is preserved? LOL :D

[Treffie]

Leave to the French government to try to find ways to make it harder to communicate with the rest of the world.

You Brits should retaliate by dropping French sounding spellings such as the extra 'u' in Labour, Colour, etc, 'programme', 'cheque' and so on :thumb001:

And become Americanised? Eww nou! :D

For the record, Welsh has a similar board of linguists who decide which words to create rather than have an English word to describe the item - the word for condom in Welsh is sach dyrnu, which literally means threshing sack. Problem is, no-one uses the newly invented Welsh word/term and people usually opt for the English one.

[Beorn]

Who said I was for that? I don't like adopting Arabic words, either.

You didn't really. Just you seem to have got more hepped up over the ridicule pored upon by the Americans in the thread than you did the inclusion of Arabic words.


I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy of Anglos (not English, moreso English-speaking North Americans) who claim to be for cultural preservation but when Francophones make efforts to preserve their culture, whether in Canada or France, they get their panties in a wad over it.

You rightly noticed that it is Americans who largely identify with the Anglosphere that have pored scorn over this, but then you forget that this forum is a racialist forum, and as such, the scorn is not towards the exclusion of English words per se, but more towards one supposed European country trying to preserve its European language by incorporating non-European influences.

That isn't preservation. At least not to my standards. :)

[Liffrea]

Originally Posted by SwordoftheVistula
I don't think so, really. English has a huge amount of other words in it. Language is just a communication tool in my opinion.

Tolkien once wrote that it was regrettable that English had become the lingua franca, both from the perspective that other languages suffered but more from the point of view that English itself had lost something……..it’s definition as a cultural marker……..

The adaptability of English is the reason it is the world’s language, it’s also the reason it is a hollow collection of words with dying roots….

Alas to bring back the Saxon tongue....

[Osweo]

English is ... a hollow collection of words with dying roots….
You're talking it wrong, then.

Alas to bring back the Saxon tongue....
It an't gone away, you know... :thumb001:

Aux Francaises; Bravo! Et Bonne chance!

[Amapola]

You're talking it wrong, then.

It an't gone away, you know... :thumb001:

Aux Francaises; Bravo! Et Bonne chance!

Bien pour los franchutes! :thumb001:

[SwordoftheVistula]

So you wouldn't mind Europeans/Americans-of-European-origin all of a sudden adopting Arabic as their language of culture and communication and starting to speak it in everyday life, as long as their "genetics" is preserved? LOL :D

We already did so with the Arabic numerical system

[Cato]

No language is pure per se, and who's getting all uptight about this? I just think it's stupid to try to fiat via government a change in the use of a language. Languages change, or stagnate, they aren't set in stone like some cyclopean monument.

[Osweo]

In modern times, with the domination of English, other languages DO occasionally need a bit of a 'helping hand', an 'artificial' boost.

I hate hearing foreigners speaking weird Runglish, Denglish, Franglais and the like. A big change of attitude is needed to reverse this garbling, but in the meantime Academies and the like can at least ensure that effort is put into finding alternative native terms to use instead of imports.

I'm reminded of the words of the Hiero-monk Makariy, that White Ruthenian happened to link me to the other day, showing the political implications at work here:


"Секс" - это варваризм, английское слово. Сами по себе нерусские слова никому не вредят; но сегодняшнее вторжении варваризмов наподобие "секса" в нашу речь имеет вполне определенную цель. Разве мы не способны по-русски говорить о половой близости? - Но нет, слова-агрессоры, проникая в сознание наших не слишком вдумчивых сограждан, исподволь диктуют им: нормы христианской нравственности устарели и заменяются новыми, голливудскими...

"Sex" is a barbarism, an English word. In themselves, non-Russian words can't harm anyone; but the present day invasion of such barbarisms as 'sex' into our language has a definite purpose. Are we incapable indeed of speaking in Russian about sexual intimacy?! - But no, aggressor-words, penetrating into the consciousness of our less thoughtful countrymen, surreptitiously dictate to them the following: the norms of Christian morality are outdated, and must be replaced by new, Hollywood ones...

[Psychonaut]

We already did so with the Arabic numerical system

Well, the Arabs borrowed it from the Indians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Hindu-Arabic_numeral_system)before we got it from them, so at least it's an IE system. :shrug:

[The Lawspeaker]

I think that I can appreciate the French stance here but it isn't consequent if they allow Arabs words to enter the language while brushing English aside. I think that it has more to do with Anti-Americanism then with a genuine (and justified) concern for the language.

Still I would like to wish the French all the best and I hope that they will also brush other non-French, non-Romanche words aside and purify their language. Bonne chance, mes amies !

I think that the Netherlands should follow their example. It isn't possible (in all cases) to fully eradicate Anglicisms in our language or to do the same thing with French, Hebrew and Latin but we should definitely give it a try. If we need foreign loanwords by lack of a Dutch alternative then they better have some historical significance, a historical basis for their existence and we shoukd try pick them from related languages (f.e Afrikaans, Frisian, Flemish-Dutch or German) or local Dutch dialects.

[Nodens]

When linguistic expression is dictated from above, it ceases to represent an organic expression of the Folk. Permutations and outside adoptions are an integral part of the formation of a given vernacular. Imagine the process of removing all French additions to Modern English. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_english#Examples)

[antonio]

The point is that massive importation of English words in French is being boosted for the almost bilingual status of near-future younger generations. And when a country becomes bilingual, everything is possible about their future linguistic uses. In fact, just by seeing "French" youngsters it's more probably that they'll choose English than French as their primary language: so they would be closer to their NegroAmerican heroes.

[The Ripper]

When linguistic expression is dictated from above, it ceases to represent an organic expression of the Folk. Permutations and outside adoptions are an integral part of the formation of a given vernacular. Imagine the process of removing all French additions to Modern English. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_english#Examples)

Because European Whiggers speaking in American Ebonics is organic expression of European folks....?

[Nodens]

Because European Whiggers speaking in American Ebonics is organic expression of European folks....?

Degeneration of certain elements is part of an organic life cycle. Attempting to mask it solves nothing.

[The Ripper]

Degeneration of certain elements is part of an organic life cycle. Attempting to mask it solves nothing.

It is not natural, it is systematic and ideological.