France: Academie Francaise – New leader & New Dictionary to come…
The 388-year-old Académie Française, the prestigious custodian, and promoter of the French language, has a new leader: French-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf.
There are 35 members of the Academy Francaise currently, who are known as “Immortals” in reference to their motto “A l’immortalite” (“To immortality”).
Maalouf becomes only the 33rd person to occupy the post of ‘perpetual secretary’ since the founding of ‘The Immortals’ under King Louis XIII in 1635 and takes over from the extraordinary Helene Carrere d’Encausse. She died last month after having held the position since 1999.
Académie Française Succession
Even though Helene Carrere d’Encausse didn’t name a successor, Maalouf was considered the obvious choice due to his highly active engagement in the institution since being elected in 2011, and due to, in 1993, his having won France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, for “The Rock of Tanios”.
Jean-Christophe Rufin, the close friend of Maalouf, was the only other candidate, and he only threw his hat in the ring at the last minute, fearing there was not enough of a democratic process. Rufin, apparently joked with one magazine recently that it was “like North Korea”.
Bulwark against the English language
Lately, the Academy Francaise has been active, working to hold back the entry of English words into French usage. The charter of the academy is to set the rules of the language and to ensure it remains “pure, eloquent, and capable of dealing with the arts and sciences”.
In particular and only recently it spoke out against the common practice of using English-sounding terms in French advertisements and branding. For example, train operator SNCF’s low-cost “Ouigo” (pronounced “we go”) service, and the consistent, and simple imports from English like “big data” and “drive-in”.
One stand-out event that captured attention was when she threatened legal action against the French government for including English translations on national identity cards. certainly a more assertive approach.
Académie Française – New Dictionary
Academie Francaise Dictionary
The completion of its ninth dictionary will be one of Maalouf’s priorities. The academy has been working on this since 1986, and it is reportedly close to completion.
There is still more work to be done to move toward gender equality at the Académie. The first female member of the Academie, Marguerite Yourcenar, was only admitted in 1980 and there are currently six. After centuries of opposition, it agreed in 2019 to allow feminine versions of certain professions, including ‘railway worker’, ‘member of parliament’, and ‘doctor’.
Past members of The Academie Française include such luminaries as Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Victor Hugo.
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About the Contributor
Judy MacMahon
