Several Anglicisms will make their debut in Le Petit Robert this year. The pandemic, new technologies and the environmental crisis have also inspired the inclusion of new terms in the dictionary of the French language, which will also include Quebec writer David Goudreault.
About fifty words and phrases will appear in the 2024 edition of the Petit Robert de la langue française, which will be published in mid-June. Le Devoir had embargoed access to that list, which was released on Tuesday.
Following the controversial non-binary pronoun iel, which was immortalized in last year’s paper edition of the dictionary, several Anglicisms will appear this summer in the book, which retails for almost a hundred dollars. These include the verb “ghost,” typically used when a person suddenly cuts ties with another person without explanation, usually in the context of a romantic relationship.
In the same way, the noun “crush”, derived entirely from the language of Shakespeare, is added to the Petit Robert to describe a person we have fallen in love with. Thus, a student will soon be able to write in a ministerial French exam that he has been “ghosted” by his “crush” without committing a French language offense.
The Petit Robert goes further by adding the verb “bader” to its pages, in reference to the English expression “bad trip”. So it will be possible to write, for example: “I recovered from watching this horror film. Speaking of films, the term “spoiler” will also find its way into the lexicon.
In turn, the pandemic, which has helped fuel a number of outlandish theories, appears to have pushed the term ‘comlosphere’ into the pages of the dictionary. This name is intended to define all persons “who participate in the dissemination of ideas that are considered conspiratorial on the Internet”.
Le Petit Robert will also add to its pages the term “hybrid”, which has become commonplace during the health crisis, particularly to define a shared way of working from home and the office.
new technologies
The good old dictionary, born in 1951, is also brought up to date by integrating several terms inspired by the current digital revolution but also by the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies.
The Anglicist “metaverse” thus entered the dictionary, as did the term “crypto-art” and the noun “moissonnage”, which refers to the automated collection of data on the Internet – or even to the harvesting of grain in a field.
In addition, the floppy disk that used to be used to store computer data is renewed in the form of a new term used mainly by members of Generation Z… who did not yet know this outdated technology. Thus the name “Floppy Disk” will soon refer to a “phrase, flattering formula, often ponderous, intended to seduce someone”.
The terms “biofuel”, “climate debt” and “microplastic” are added to the dictionary of the French language at a time when the environmental crisis is contributing to the emergence of numerous neologisms. This also applies to the term “incentive parking”, where motorists are encouraged to park their vehicle before using public transport.
Charles III and David Goudreault
Le Petit Robert will add several proper names to its next edition, including that of King Charles III, who will be crowned with great pomp in London on Saturday. The same applies to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner and the Belarusian political activist Alès Bialiatski, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The 42-year-old Quebec writer David Goudreault will also join the pages of the famous dictionary, where he is particularly praised for his trilogy The Beast and his numerous shows and poems extolling the protection of the French language.