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submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[-] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

the French opaque, obtuse spelling system has been openly and admittedly designed for social elitism and discrimination

I find that difficult to believe, would you happen to remember where you read this? I'm curious to know more about that.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Sure! Here's a nice article by Mireille Elchacar, lexicologist and professor at TELUQ university.

The relevant portion:

Le 8 mai 1673, l’Académie française tranche en faveur de l’orthographe savante « qui distingue les gens de Lettres d’avec les Ignorants et les simples femmes ».

My translation:

The 8 of May, 1673, the French Academy decides in favor of a scholarly orthography "which distinguishes literary people from the ignorants and simple women".

Yikes! That's the basis of the "etymologic" or rather pseudo-etymologic orthography of French. The French Academy is still the authority for the French language, a remnant of the Ancient Régime. To my knowledge, they haven't retracted this statement since and to my judgement they still adhere to it by their actions and decisions today.

this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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