A number of prominent public figures and academics from Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and France, including Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux, are calling for a change in French spelling to bring it in line with modern usage, Le Soir reports.
The academics argue that the French language needs updating, specifically with regards to spelling. The linguists state that all plurals should end with -s (rather than -x in words such as poux, for example), and that the past participle agreement should be altogether abolished ('la vidéo que tu as vu' instead of 'vue', for example).
"Everywhere, we are forced to read and write using the spelling of 1878, whereas the rectified spelling of 1990 appears in all dictionaries – even that of the Académie Française. We French speakers from different countries are asking our institutions, as well as the media, publishing houses and digital companies, to offer texts and messages in the new spelling," the signatories say.
'Not a drop in standards'
"The last spelling reform was in 1990, and it is still called the nouvelle orthographe [new spelling]," French linguistics professor at Brussels' ULB and VUB, Dan Van Raemdonck, told Le Soir. "So it's high time we changed it, as we have done with Spanish, German and Dutch. It's not a question of a drop in standards, it's just that spelling has become impossible to master."
Over the years, the Académie Française, the principal French council for matters pertaining to the French language, regularly changed spellings until the end of the 19th century. Since then, and unlike other European languages, French spelling has changed very little, apart from minor changes in 1990.
"Yet it is necessary to change the graphic system of a language every 20 to 30 years," stresses UCLouvain linguistics professor, Anne Catherine Simon, to Le Soir. "Spelling is a tool for putting language into writing in an efficient, practical and rational way. Like all tools, it is bound to evolve as the language evolves. With French, there is a lot of reticence," she said, adding that French spelling is very complex, takes time to learn and does not allow learners to fully master the language.
Simpler spellings
If there is to be a new reform, the linguists argue that it should be clearer and more widespread than the 1990 reform. They maintain that, by developing spelling, the rules will be more regular and school students will therefore be able to learn them more easily. International surveys carried out by PIRLS and PISA demonstrate that French-speaking countries devote more hours to learning their mother tongue than other countries, with poorer results.
For French, Swiss, Canadian and Belgian linguists, the next revision of the French language should involve reforming the agreement of the past participle, leaving it invariable when conjugated with the verb 'avoir': "la faute que tu as faite" would become "la faute que tu as fait," for example. Anne Catherine Simon asserts that, despite the many hours devoted to learning this tricky grammar rule, people hardly ever use orally it in modern day usage.
Another change would ensure all plurals in French end in -s, doing away with the final -x in words such as hiboux, and genoux. "We're calling for the deletion of letters that have no function, but which add complexity and rote learning."
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While there is less enthusiasm for a language reform in France, the debate is alive and well in Belgium. "In Belgium, those who are against change are people who are attached to their way of doing things. There is an emotional side to it, but also a fear of the decline of the language," continues Dan Van Raemdonck.
"In France, it's different; the French language is part of the cultural identity. And it's hard to imagine French-speaking Belgium going it alone, without the backing of its big sister. At most, the French Community could issue a directive or decree authorising certain changes," the professor stated.
The French language council (Conseil de la langue française), which is responsible for advising on linguistic policy in Belgium, will shortly be submitting an opinion on the agreement of past participles to the Minister for Culture and the French Language, Bénédicte Linard.
