French language commission wants to replace English technology vocabulary, including “smartphone” with “le mobile multifunction”, “fiber optics” with “fibronique”, and “hashtag” with “mot-dièse”. They also suggest using “televiseur connecté” instead of “smart TV”. The commission previously ruled against using “gamer”, “dark web”, and “fake news”.
The French are continuing their long tradition of trying to stop English words from “infiltrating” their language and are now focusing specifically on technology vocabulary. For example, members of a commission charged with protecting the French language do not want their compatriots to use the English term “smartphone”. Instead, they want the device to be called le mobile multifunction, or mobile for short. The Commission d’enrichissement de la langue française is also banking on a variety of other English terms, proposing French alternatives to “fiber optics” (fibronique), “email” (courrier électronique) and “hashtag” (mot-dièse ).
english slang? Holy blue!
The French were also told they shouldn’t use the word ‘smart TV’. The preferred term is televiseur connecté.
Last year, the commission ruled against the use of English words such as “gamer”, “dark web” and “fake news. They prefer joueur, internet clandestin and a completely new term: infox.
France’s first official committee to protect the country’s vocabulary was established in 1966.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
