‘Do the rules of grammar no longer exist?’ France looks to ban ‘confusing’ gender-neutral words

A group of MPs have argued that gender-neutral language will make proper French harder to learn 

Credit: SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS /AFP

Over 60 MPs in France have proposed a new law to ban public servants from using "gender-inclusive" words in their work, arguing that it makes learning proper French harder and endangers the entire language.

It marks the latest row over over gender-neutral language in France, known as "écriture inclusive", which has been hailed by feminist groups as a way of making French less discriminatory.

"The advent of inclusive writing makes the learning of the French language harder, since it creates a gap between the spoken language and written language,” said the MPs, who hail from President Emmanuel Macron’s party and conservative party Les Republicains

“It is therefore the whole of French linguistic heritage which risks disappearing," added the proposal, which was led by MP François Jolivet and close allies of Mr Macron.

Under standard rules, the masculine plural of friends, "amis", covers both women and men, even if the group is majority female. The feminine plural, "amies", is used only when not a single man is included. 

A popular grammar rule learned in French schools states that "the masculine always wins."

An “inclusive” spelling would split up the word using a punctuation point called a middot to include the feminine version, so “amis” becomes “ami·e·s”.

"The fight for equality between women and men is fair. The road it takes is sometimes confusing," said the MPs’ statement.

"Do the rules of grammar no longer exist?"

Proponents of "écriture inclusive" say it prevents the erasure of women from the French language and the initiative has been adopted by some political parties, elected officials and universities. Similar debates have been taking place in Canada since the 1980s.

However, it has however sparked fury among linguistic purists, with the Académie Française, the 400-year-old gatekeeper of the French language, arguing that it poses a “mortal danger” to the purity of French. 

Critics have also raised concerns about its accessibility for people who are blind or have learning disorders. 

Former prime minister Edouard Philippe sided with them in 2017 when he banned "inclusive writing" from official government publications.

The draft law will be debated in the national assembly in the next few weeks.