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France Says 'Au Revoir' to the Word 'Smartphone' (smithsonianmag.com)

Posted by msmash on from the what's-in-a-name? dept.

Hoping to prevent English tech vocabulary from entering the French language, officials have suggested 'mobile multifunction' as an alternative. An anonymous reader shares a report: The official journal of the French Republic, the Journal officiel, has suggested "internet clandestin" instead of dark net. It's dubbed a casual gamer "joueur occasionnel" for messieurs and "joueuse occasionnelle" for mesdames. To replace hashtag, it's selected "mot-diese." Now, as the Local reports, the latest word to get the official boot in France is smartphone. It's time to say bonjour to the "le mobile multifonction." The recommendation was put forth by the Commission d'enrichissement de la langue francaise, which works in conjunction with the Academie Francaise to preserve the French language. This isn't the first time that the commission has tried to encourage French citizens to switch over to a Franco-friendly word for "smartphone." Previous suggestions included "ordiphone" (from "ordinateur," the French word for computer) and "terminal de poche" (or pocket terminal). These, it seems, did not quite stick.

15 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. UTF8 by dmbasso · · Score: 5, Funny

    which works in conjunction with the Academie FranÃaise to preserve the need of UTF8

    ftfy

    --
    `echo $[0x853204FA81]|tr 0-9 ionbsdeaml`@gmail.com
  2. All french everywhere by Excelcia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I used to think, being a Canadian, that it was just the Quebec francophones with the hyperactive inferiority complex which manifested like that. In Quebec they are anal about signage to the point of there being ordinances outlining the maximum size of English print on your store front in order to preserve their language (which I won't actually insult France enough to call French and will just call "Quebecois"). They were so adamant about it they had to use a special constitutional opt-out Canadian provinces have called the notwithstanding clause to make it legal notwithstanding a person's right to freedom of expression.

    Now I realize this is just endemic to all French everywhere.

    1. Re:All french everywhere by TWX · · Score: 5, Funny

      But it does make for an amusing plot-point when the cop stops the truck with the spraypainted expressions on it to cite the dual-language law and help them spraypaint the truck with french translations...

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    2. Re:All french everywhere by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      septante, huitante (octante), nonante - sounds perfectly logical.

    3. Re:All french everywhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      That's a lie. English classes are mandatory in all french schools in Québec. Moreover anglophones in Québec have full access to english education from kindergarten to university. There's nothing equivalent for the French in the other provinces. Maybe they mandate french as second language in the other provinces, but I assure you that by having contacts with english canadian tourists that these programs are utter failures.

      And by the way, we don't give a fuck about the signage in Winnipeg or Moose Jaw. Past the Outaouais, it's very clear that we are in a foreign country posing as us.

  3. Stupid French... by JoeDuncan · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...they don't even have a word for "entrepreneur"

    1. Re:Stupid French... by mrbester · · Score: 5, Funny

      There was an attempt by some amateur, but it was just a homage to cliché.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
  4. wordy by Moblaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i don't speak French but even I can figure out that's a big mealy mouthful... hard for six or seven syllables to come up with two... couldn't they even compromise with a more streamlined "multifonc" ?

    1. Re:wordy by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This isn't the first time they've had this sort of problem. What is funny though, is that we're almost to the point where there's no reason to use "smartphone" anymore since nearly all mobile phones are this type. It's like there's no need to refer to your new TV as a flatscreen TV, because all new TVs are flatscreen TVs. If they'd made this ruling about a decade ago it would make sense, but now, not so much.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  5. Also in the news by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    French IT specialist complained about not being able to find jobs abroad. International companies we asked cited "a lack of knowledge of fundamental IT terms they even know in third world countries" as a reason.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. Funny conversation with a colleague from Quebec by TomR+teh+Pirate · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This sort of French language and cultural identity protection has been going on for years. I remember once talking to a colleague from Quebec about this. He told me that he had initially been reticent about the idea of moving to the US because there is a sense among the Quebecers that the rest of us English-speaking Americans are out to destroy their cultural heritage. At the time of the conversation he had already been in the US for several years and so I asked him, "well, what is your assessment of American culture trying to destroy French culture?" His response boiled down to, "most of you don't even know who we are. We've been paranoid about nothing."

  7. Re:It's hard to feel sorry for the French language by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the main reason why english became so popular world-wide is because it's one of the easiest language to learn.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  8. Re:It's hard to feel sorry for the French language by chmod+a+x+mojo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Close, very close.

    The short answer is: trade.

    The slightly longer answer: Trade, due to the fact that there has been large amounts of English speakers since the spread that happened shortly after modern English first was a pidgin language ( again because of trade ). Trade - and wealth in general - drives the cultural and military conquests 95% of the time.

    Imagine two countries separated by a decent amount of traveling time. They want to trade, but don't speak the others language. It's likely, especially these days, that both have people trained in speaking English for trade with English speaking countries. Boom, instant trade language between the two countries. Now they can trade as much as they want without having to hire yet another translator / learn another new language.

    --
    To err is human; effective mayhem requires the root password!
  9. Re:It's hard to feel sorry for the French language by sobachatina · · Score: 4, Informative

    Surely this must be sarcastic. Especially with the grammar error.

    I have studied a handful of languages and taught English. English is a train wreck to learn.
    It is extremely flexible and expressive but the grammar rules and spelling are the linguistic equivalent of the worst spaghetti code.

  10. Obl. by bgarcia · · Score: 5, Funny

    French: ... Sixty-seven, sixty-eight, sixty-nine, sixty-ten...
    Other languages: **stares**
    French: **stares back**
    French: ...sixty-eleven, sixty-twelve, sixty-thirteen...
    French: ...sixty-sixteen, sixty-ten-seven...
    Other languages: *shutting eyes*
    French: ..sixty-ten-eight, sixty-ten-nine...
    Other languages: *hands over face*
    French: ...four twenties! :) Four twenties one...

    --
    I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.