Le Robert, one of France’s leading dictionaries, said in a statement on Wednesday that it added the pronoun “iel” to its word list a few weeks ago after its researchers noticed a rise in the use of the word. pronoun in recent months.
In English, the neuter gender “they” has been used for some years by people who do not identify themselves as male or female. Many public figures – including US Vice President Kamala Harris – have used gender neutrality in Twitter profiles, email signatures or résumés to show solidarity with non-binary people.
Le Robert’s decision sparked heated debate in the French press and on social media, with several politicians contesting the term. The country has grammar as a fundamental part of its culture.
The French government is totally against the idea, and the Ministry of Education has resisted previous attempts to incorporate inclusive language into the school curriculum.
“Inclusive writing is not the future of the French language,” tweeted Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer on Tuesday (16).
Blanquer added that he supported the protest by National Assembly member François Jolivet of Em Marcha!, President Macrón’s party, against the action of Le Robert.
Jolivet wrote to the Académie Française, an organization considered the guardian of the French language, saying that the pronoun “iel” and its derivations “ielle, iels and ielles” were an affront to French values.
For Blanquer, the dictionary’s “lone campaign” “is an overt ideological intrusion that undermines our common language…this kind of initiative stains our language and divides users rather than uniting them,” he wrote.
Le Robert director Charles Bimbenet said that dictionaries include many words that reflect ideas or trends without themselves approving or disapproving of those ideas, and that as the word “iel” is increasingly used, it is useful to include one. description.
“Le Robert’s mission is to observe and report on the evolution of a diverse French language as it evolves. Defining the words that speak of the world is helping to understand it better”, wrote Bimbenet.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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