France Bans the Term 'E-Mail'

PARIS - Goodbye "e-mail", the French government says, and hello
"courriel" — the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using
to refer to electronic mail in official documents.

The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all
government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the latest
step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.

The ministry's General Commission on Terminology and Neology insists
Internet surfers in France are broadly using the term "courrier
electronique" (electronic mail) instead of e-mail — a claim some
industry experts dispute. "Courriel" is a fusion of the two words.

"Evocative, with a very French sound, the word 'courriel' is broadly
used in the press and competes advantageously with the borrowed 'mail'
in English," the commission has ruled.

The move to ban "e-mail" was announced last week after the decision was
published in the official government register on June 20. Courriel is a
term that has often been used in French-speaking Quebec, the commission
said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ith__e_mail__1

bsh wrote:
PARIS - Goodbye "e-mail", the French government says, and hello
"courriel" — the term that linguistically sensitive France is now
using to refer to electronic mail in official documents.

The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all
government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the
latest step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.


C'est la vie. I feel their pain.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN


http://www.mortimerschnerd.com

oh THIS is on topic LOL

Of course they did, must defend their superior culture after all
Jarg
"bsh" wrote in message
...
PARIS - Goodbye "e-mail", the French government says, and hello
"courriel" — the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using
to refer to electronic mail in official documents.

The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all
government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the latest
step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.

The ministry's General Commission on Terminology and Neology insists
Internet surfers in France are broadly using the term "courrier
electronique" (electronic mail) instead of e-mail — a claim some
industry experts dispute. "Courriel" is a fusion of the two words.

"Evocative, with a very French sound, the word 'courriel' is broadly
used in the press and competes advantageously with the borrowed 'mail'
in English," the commission has ruled.

The move to ban "e-mail" was announced last week after the decision was
published in the official government register on June 20. Courriel is a
term that has often been used in French-speaking Quebec, the commission
said.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ith__e_mail__1

bsh wrote:

PARIS - Goodbye "e-mail", the French government says, and hello
"courriel" — the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using
to refer to electronic mail in official documents.

The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all
government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the latest
step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.

The ministry's General Commission on Terminology and Neology insists
Internet surfers in France are broadly using the term "courrier
electronique" (electronic mail) instead of e-mail — a claim some
industry experts dispute. "Courriel" is a fusion of the two words.

"Evocative, with a very French sound, the word 'courriel' is broadly
used in the press and competes advantageously with the borrowed 'mail'
in English," the commission has ruled.

The move to ban "e-mail" was announced last week after the decision was
published in the official government register on June 20. Courriel is a
term that has often been used in French-speaking Quebec, the commission
said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ith__e_mail__1

I use "courriel" daily at the House of Commons of Canada. It works
much better in French than "e-mail". From the Canadian point of view,
it's a sign that French can actually grow and accept influences
outside France (even if it hurts). "E-mail" is too close to the French
word for enamel.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

"Andrew Chaplin" wrote in message
__e_mail__1

I use "courriel" daily at the House of Commons of Canada. It works
much better in French than "e-mail". From the Canadian point of view,
it's a sign that French can actually grow and accept influences
outside France (even if it hurts). "E-mail" is too close to the French
word for enamel.

That's it ! I am going to scrub "par avion" off all my air mail letters
from now on.
No more enamel either, I will use paint.

Andrew Chaplin wrote:

[snip]

I use "courriel" daily at the House of Commons of Canada. It works
much better in French than "e-mail". From the Canadian point of view,
it's a sign that French can actually grow and accept influences
outside France (even if it hurts). "E-mail" is too close to the French
word for enamel.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)
^^^^^^

So, so you are using courriel daily...

;-)

Frank

I was skiing at Chamonix years ago, when I met a French-Canadian in
the parking lot. He was horribly depressed at the state of the French
language in the home country. The parking lot was dubbed PARKING
instead of stationment, but even worse in his opinion was LE WEEKEND.

On the other hand, even longer ago I met a Frenchman from Normandy in
the Paris youth hostel. He'd just driven a hitchhiking American girl
to the hostel, where of course she had dumped him, so he was
comforting himself with a bottle of wine at the commons table. He too
was hideously depressed (perhaps it goes with the language?) at the
state of spoken French in Normandy. The worst thing he could say about
it was that it sounded very similar to French as spoken in Quebec.

(Both these conversations, I might point out, were held in English.
Though the French regard it as a predator language, they are pretty
handy with it.)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

I was skiing at Chamonix years ago, when I met a French-Canadian in
the parking lot. He was horribly depressed at the state of the French
language in the home country. The parking lot was dubbed PARKING
instead of stationment, but even worse in his opinion was LE WEEKEND.

On the other hand, even longer ago I met a Frenchman from Normandy in
the Paris youth hostel. He'd just driven a hitchhiking American girl
to the hostel, where of course she had dumped him, so he was
comforting himself with a bottle of wine at the commons table. He too
was hideously depressed (perhaps it goes with the language?) at the
state of spoken French in Normandy. The worst thing he could say about
it was that it sounded very similar to French as spoken in Quebec.

(Both these conversations, I might point out, were held in English.
Though the French regard it as a predator language, they are pretty
handy with it.)

On reflection, one never hears Frenchmen complaining about French words and
phrases adopted into the English language, does one. A bit of "le standard a
deux", n'est ce pas? (^-^)))

George Z.

Gooneybird wrote:

: On reflection, one never hears Frenchmen complaining about French words and
: phrases adopted into the English language, does one. A bit of "le standard
: a deux", n'est ce pas? (^-^)))

Well, thanks to William the Conqueror, English is a mixture
of French with the original Germanic Old English, anyway.
It is only natural for the French to make further intrusions.
While 'Franglais' is really very, very ugly.

Emmanuel