French dictionary adds non-binary pronoun, which arouses anger

French dictionary Le Robert decided to add the entry “iel” – a combination of “il” and “elle”, meaning “he” and “she” in French respectively – in the online version of his dictionary in October.

It is a “personal subject pronoun of the third person singular and plural used to refer to a person of any gender,” the dictionary states.

Together with its plural and feminine form, collectively called “iel, ielle, iels, ielles”, this new addition to the French language has sparked strong opposition from some French politicians.

“The Petit Robert, a dictionary we thought was a reference, has just integrated the words ‘iel, ielle, iels, ielles’ into its website,” said French lawmaker François Jolivet, of La République en Marche, French party Emmanuel Macron’s party . in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Its authors are therefore militant of a cause that has nothing to do with France: #wokism,” Jolivet said.

His anger resonated with other French lawmakers, including Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer.

“Inclusive writing is not the future of the French language,” Blanquer said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Therefore, even though our students are consolidating their basic knowledge, they can not have this as a reference.”

CNN has contacted the French Academy, the governing body of the French language, for comment.

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal reiterated the government’s position “not to use inclusive writing in all official and administrative documents,” at its weekly press conference on Wednesday.

Le Robert responded with a statement on Wednesday, saying it was merely trying to reflect recent changes in the French language, as it has noted.

It admitted that the general use of “iel” is still low, and the dictionary entry indicates that the word is “rare”. But the editorial board thought it would be helpful to include the post and clarify its meaning to people so they can decide whether to use it or reject it.

“Le Robert’s mission is to observe the development of a French language in motion, diverse, and to report on it,” the statement said.

It also said in the statement that most of the reactions it received are positive.

The outrage came as France became more and more uncomfortable with cultural influence from other nations.

This was put to the test when the French love of secularism – known as “laïcité” in French – was questioned by many in the United States.

These observations were made with “social science theories imported exclusively from the United States” that are not compatible with the history of France, French President Emmanuel Macron said in October 2020.

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