You can say it in French…

Thanks to reader Polly-Vous Français (whose blog is my substitute for a trip to Paris these days!) for sending the link to FranceTerme, the official French government site for French terminology and neologisms. Their slogan, “Vous pouvez le dire en français” (You can say it in French) gives you an idea of the theme; for francophile language junkies, this site is a true bottomless pit of linguistic education!

In addition to entries on the official terminology for 21st century terms like “low-cost airline,” “wireless Internet access” or the “at” symbol in e-mail addresses (are you hooked yet?), the site has a whole section of neologism “recommendations,” with a discussion of the various sides of the issue. For example, if you’re wondering how to express the word/concept “beach” when it concerns a sport such as le beach volley-ball, worry no more, it’s here (short answer: use “sur sable“). Or how about “gender,” as in gender neutral, gender disparities, etc? Not as simple as volley-ball sur sable, but you can read about it here. Have fun with it!