the Larousse does not intend to follow suit anytime soon Robert, which this week included the neutral pronoun “iel” in its online dictionary, thus sowing controversy.
“The question is, should we include the pronoun ” iel ” in usual dictionaries such as Little Robert and the Little Larousse, which describes the common language in one volume. For us, at Larousse, the answer is no, ”the lexicologist Bernard Cerquiglini ruled on Wednesday, in an interview with the French television channel BFMTV.
The debate has started since The Robert decided on Tuesday to include the neutral third-person pronoun “iel” in its online dictionary, triggering opposite reactions. The French Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, moreover condemned this decision on Tuesday, affirming that, according to him, “inclusive writing is not the future of the French language”. The Office québécois de la langue française does not recommend using this pronoun and instead offers epicene writing in a context of inclusive communication.
The Robert meanwhile defended his decision, taken in October by its editorial committee. The use of the pronoun “iel”, although still “relatively weak”, has experienced “strong growth in recent months”, wrote in a statement Wednesday the general manager of Éditions Le Robert, Charles Bimbenet. According to various French media, Le Robert could also include this neutral pronoun in its print edition in 2022.
“Neutralize the language”
According to Bernard Cerquiglini, however, the use of the pronoun “iel” remains “null” in everyday language. Interviewed at BFMTV as lexicologist of Larousse, he rather argued that we only meet this word “in militant texts”. “Now, for a pronoun, a word or a verb to enter a dictionary of use, it must be attested orally and in writing by several generations, that it enters the current language “, He argued.
The French linguist also believes that the pronoun “iel” is not a solution “to the problems felt” in our society, which wants to be more and more inclusive, since “pronouns do not exist alone”. The use of this pronoun, which is neither masculine nor feminine, would therefore imply modifying the adjectives which relate to it. “And step by step, we will neutralize the language,” dropped Mr. Cerquiglini.
“So I respect the feelings, the problems. We have the right to express ourselves as we want, but we do not have the right to touch a language system [qui est en place] for 2000 years, ”he said.
Contacted by The duty, Fabienne Corriveau, of the press service of Hachette Canada, which oversees the Larousse editions, confirmed that the inscription of the pronoun “iel” in the pages of the dictionary is not planned for the moment. The new words that will be included in the next edition of the Larousse will be known “later in the spring”, probably at the end of April or the beginning of May, she indicated on Friday.