Paris
The French language is degenerating because its speakers lack self-esteem, a member of France’s language watchdog said this week. “The disappearance of our colonial empire has encouraged the appearance of a low French,” said Maurice Druon of the Académie Française. “The French no longer respect their language because they are no longer proud of themselves or their country.” France established the Académie Française, in 1635, to protect the purity of the language. But in recent years the group’s French alternatives to new tech lingo imported from English—such as “courriel” for “e-mail”—have not caught on.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
-
Today's political cartoons - September 16, 2024Monday's cartoons - a second assassination attempt, eating pets, and more
-
'If this is a race, China has a commanding lead'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
