2023-10-30 15:49:28
Emmanuel Macron during the inauguration of the Cité internationale de la langue française in Villers-Cotterêts, October 30, 2023. CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / REUTERS
Emmanuel Macron called on Monday October 30 to “do not give in to the spirit of the times” with regard to the French language, and “also keep the foundations, the bases of your grammar, the strength of your syntax”. “In this language, the masculine makes the neuter. We don’t need to add periods in the middle of words, or dashes or things to make it readable.”he added, asserting, during a speech given on the occasion of the inauguration of the Cité internationale de la langue française, in Villers-Cotterêts, that the French language “forges the nation”.
Also read the survey: Article reserved for our subscribers In Villers-Cotterêts, a castle to think the words of France
The head of state spoke while the ban on certain elements of inclusive writing is the subject of a bill examined in the Senate on Monday evening. The text of Senator Pascale Gruny (Les Républicains, LR) plans to ban the latter “in all cases where the legislator (and possibly the regulatory authority) requires a document in French”. A wide range is targeted: instructions for use, employment contracts, internal company regulations, but also legal acts, which would then be considered inadmissible or void if the measure were to be applied.
The senators ask for a ban on grammatical words constituting neologisms such as “iel”, a contraction of “he” and “she”, and “celles”, a contraction of “those” and “those”. The bill also plans to include the ban on these elements in the education code, while their use is already prohibited in schools by a circular. of former Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer from 2021.
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“Contrary to inclusion”
For Cédric Vial, rapporteur of the text attached to the LR group, inclusive writing constitutes “ a practice which is precisely contrary to inclusion”. He added to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “those most impacted by its use are people with disabilities and illiteracy, or those suffering from dyslexia. This is an additional constraint. To include, on the contrary, we must simplify the language”.
Adopted and even strengthened in committee on Wednesday, the text arouses indignation among part of the left. “It is an unconstitutional, retrograde and reactionary text, which is part of a long-standing conservative movement of the fight against the visibility of women”is offended by socialist senator Yan Chantrel.
The ban on certain elements of inclusive writing currently exists in a 2017 circular from former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. This one “invited” the ministers, “particularly for texts intended to be published in Official newspaper of the French Republic, not to use so-called “inclusive” writing..
The bill has a good chance of being adopted given the domination of the right and the center in the upper house. However, there is no guarantee that it will be taken up by the Assembly: a similar proposal from the National Rally was in fact withdrawn during examination in October when it was heading towards rejection.
Also read the survey (2021): Article reserved for our subscribers Inclusive writing or the long quest for an egalitarian language
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