For centuries, the Académie Française has overseen basically the entire French language, being responsible for everything from grammar to the publication of dictionaries in French to acting as the “official authority of the language”. An important part of this role in recent decades has been to prevent the slow invasion of slang and slang by the English-speaking world, to which the French have been increasingly exposed through film, music, television and now video games.
As reported by The Guardian, this week has been extended to a “ban” on the use of certain words adjacent to games that are popular not only in English-speaking countries but around the world. The Academy cannot outlaw the use of words in everyday speech, not even in the media, which is not within its remit or intent, but the ban is now “binding on to government workers “, which means that when talking about the issue. or preparing papers, French officials have to find different ways of saying words like “sports.”
In this case, it’s a much less catchy “competitive video game.” Cloud games become “cloud video game”, the professional player is a “professional player” and a streamer must be called a “live player host”.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of the Academy, which dates back to 1635, don’t let that be the only thing you learn about them. They’re like a wild little Vatican for grammar nerds, with their 40 members known as “Immortals” and appointed for life. Sometimes new members may temporarily decline a position if they did not like the person previously occupying the seat, as they have to “praise their predecessor at the installation ceremony.” And they even have their own uniforms – with swords! – which you can see below in a photo taken in 2021:
Photo: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN, Getty Images