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| End of the circumflex? Changes in French spelling cause uproar | End of the circumflex? Changes in French spelling cause uproar |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Suggested new spellings for more than 2,000 French words have sparked controversy. | Suggested new spellings for more than 2,000 French words have sparked controversy. |
| The Academie Francaise proposed changes in 1990, including the deletion of the circumflex accent and hyphens in some words, but they were optional. | |
| Now publishers say they will include the new spellings in schoolbooks. | Now publishers say they will include the new spellings in schoolbooks. |
| France's education minister has said the changes will not culminate in the end of circumflex and that both spellings will remain correct. | France's education minister has said the changes will not culminate in the end of circumflex and that both spellings will remain correct. |
| Despite this, the news sparked furious reaction on social media, with users arguing the changes constituted dumbing down. | |
| The outrage reportedly started after a report by the TF1 website (in French) said the reforms would take into effect in the upcoming academic year. | The outrage reportedly started after a report by the TF1 website (in French) said the reforms would take into effect in the upcoming academic year. |
| It quoted a note from the education ministry last year saying that the new spellings should be adopted and reported that publishers have decided to add the changes in textbooks from September. | It quoted a note from the education ministry last year saying that the new spellings should be adopted and reported that publishers have decided to add the changes in textbooks from September. |
| Students will then have a choice to use either the old spellings or the new ones and teachers will have to accept both ways as correct. | Students will then have a choice to use either the old spellings or the new ones and teachers will have to accept both ways as correct. |
| 'Comment dire?' Some of the new spellings | |
| Oignon - ognon (onion) | Oignon - ognon (onion) |
| Nénuphar - nénufar (water lily) | Nénuphar - nénufar (water lily) |
| S'entraîner - s'entrainer (to practise) | |
| Maîtresse - maitresse (mistress, teacher) | Maîtresse - maitresse (mistress, teacher) |
| Coût - cout (cost) | Coût - cout (cost) |
| Mille-pattes - millepattes (centipedes) | Mille-pattes - millepattes (centipedes) |
| Porte-monnaie - portemonnaie (purse, wallet) | Porte-monnaie - portemonnaie (purse, wallet) |
| Sources: Thelocal.fr, TF1 | Sources: Thelocal.fr, TF1 |
| The proposed changes followed a review of the French language to simplify learning, but they were not binding and had faced strong opposition in the country, Le Monde reported (in French). | The proposed changes followed a review of the French language to simplify learning, but they were not binding and had faced strong opposition in the country, Le Monde reported (in French). |
| They include the deletion in some words of the hyphens and the circumflex. The accent disappears from above the letter i and u in certain words and not from the letter o. | They include the deletion in some words of the hyphens and the circumflex. The accent disappears from above the letter i and u in certain words and not from the letter o. |
| The new spelling would reportedly impact around 2,400 words. | The new spelling would reportedly impact around 2,400 words. |
| '#JeSuisCirconflexe' | '#JeSuisCirconflexe' |
| Users on social media were furious over the changes, and the hashtags #ReformeOrthographe (orthographic reform) and #JeSuisCirconflexe (I am circumflex) were one of Twitter's trending topics in France on Thursday. | Users on social media were furious over the changes, and the hashtags #ReformeOrthographe (orthographic reform) and #JeSuisCirconflexe (I am circumflex) were one of Twitter's trending topics in France on Thursday. |
| Many users shared pictures showing their dissatisfaction with the changes, and most of the anger was directed at the alleged end of the circumflex. |