Seven of the most annoying anglicisms used ‘in french’

ANGLICISMS - WORDS THAT THE FRENCH LANGUAGE BORROWS FROM ENGLISH - ARE MORE WIDESPREAD THAN MANY FRENCH PEOPLE MIGHT THINK… SOME MAY SAY ‘ C’EST INSANE ’ The French language is constantly

changing and evolving, but more and more Anglicisms have been creeping in, particularly with the growth of start-ups and French tech companies. The Académie francaise is the language

authority in France and seeks to manage and hold off the tide of Anglicisms. It sees itself as the ‘guardian of the French language’, EXPLAINED former secretary Hélène Carrère

d'Encausse in an exclusive interview with _The Connexion_. READ MORE: MEET HÉLÈNE CARRÈRE D'ENCAUSSE, THE GUARDIAN OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE Admittedly, some Anglicisms can be

justified - technical words, concepts or tools, especially those coined in the US. For example, ‘data warehouse’ is a term used in its English form by employees of some French tech

companies. This is generally because it is widely understood, and takes less effort than its French translation _entrepot de données_. However, the use of Anglicisms - even in unwarranted

situations - has almost become the norm nowadays. These can seem unnecessary (especially if the French equivalent is just as short or easy to say), and can also appear annoying and obnoxious

if someone is using them to demonstrate a form of ‘power’ or ‘coolness’. So widespread are the Anglicisms, that - as the sentence below shows - it does not take much to create an entire

Franglais (French and English) phrase from them. Here are some of the most annoying and unnecessary. _THE CONNEXION_ FAIT UN QUICK SUMMARY DES ANGLICISMES LES PLUS RED-FLAG EMPLOYÉS PAR LES

FRANÇAIS. ‘ON SE FAIT UN CALL / LUNCH’ ‘_On se fait un call_’ or ‘_on se fait un lunch_’ means ‘Let’s have a call’ and ‘do you want to have lunch together?’ The employment of the two English

words in extremely simple and straightforward sentences seems unnecessary at best, and at worst, as if someone is trying to seem trendy. The French ‘_on s’appelle?_’, ‘_on se fait un

déjeuner_’ or ‘_on se fait un déj’_’ are already widespread, easy to say, and get the point across. ASAP Some French people say and pronounce ‘_asap_’ (as soon as possible) in one word, to

mimic the English acronym. They might say: ‘_je te fais ça asap_’ (I’ll do that as soon as possible for you). But ‘_au plus vite_’ or '_aussitôt_’ are correct French ways to say it.

LIVE ‘_En live_’ (live) is another painfully unnecessary Anglicism used to characterise something performed live, even though French uses the word ‘_en direct_’. Popular comic trio Les Nuls

has even made fun of this Anglicism, which is most often used by TV anchors and journalists. The trio mocked them and said that events were happening ‘_en direct live_’, redundantly using

the French ‘_en direct_’ with the English ‘going live’. WOKISME ‘_Wokisme_’ is a French word derived from the English ‘woke’ but with the addition of the suffix -isme to show more of the

ideology behind it. ‘_Wokisme_’ and ‘_woke_’ are buzzwords, mainly used by right-wing conservatives and far-right politicians, pundits and TV channels, in a pejorative way, to demean

left-leaning people, or those who they consider to be ‘too sensitive’ or ‘too politically-correct’. ÇA FAIT SENS ‘_Ça fait sens_’ is a different type of Anglicism than prior examples because

it does not come from the use of an English word in a French sentence, but instead from copying the structure of the English language and applying it to French. ‘_Ça fait sens_’ is a direct

translation of ‘it makes sense’. However, it does not make grammatical sense in French, even though every French person would understand it, and many may use it. OH. MY. GOD. This is

another English-language structure, taken mostly from American TV shows, or videos on YouTube and elsewhere on social media, where the emphasis is put on EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. to show a

strong reaction or feeling. This one works better if it is said with a French accent. “C’EST INSANE” / RIDICULOUS This last example combines both types of Anglicisms: an English word, and

English sentence structure. ‘_C’est insane_’ means ‘it’s insane’ but with the French conjugation form of the verb to be (‘_est_’). It is used to react to something extraordinary (rather than

necessarily the original meaning of the word ‘insane’, to mean crazy, mad, or mentally ill). It is quite unnecessary considering the myriad of French words that exist to express the

extraordinary characteristics of something such as ‘_incroyable_’, ‘_extraordinaire_’, ‘_hors du commun_’, ‘_remarquable_’ etc. RELATED ARTICLES WHY USE ANGLICISMS WHEN WE HAVE PERFECTLY

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