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It-bag, lifestyle, must have... These Anglicisms of the fashion world that the State wants to see disappear

2023-02-16T17:53:57.741Z


The Commission d'enrichissement de la langue française takes seriously the subject of English expressions commonly adopted by the fashion world by publishing a list of French equivalents.


Is the fashion world sabotaging the language of Molière?

For the Commission for the enrichment of the French language, there is no doubt: drift there is, therefore a fortiori, need to react, too.

In a note published in the Official Journal of January 25, this assembly placed under the authority of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and under the control of the French Academy recalls that there are equivalents to the many English words which have settled in the industry jargon.

And goes so far as to give a certain number of recommendations to combat systematic idiomatic borrowings.

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In video, the fashion industry in 12 figures:

Thus, the Anglicisms that often come up have been scrutinized.

Therefore, a French alternative is proposed:

it-girl

becomes "fashion icon",

lifestyle

"lifestyle", the word

corner,

"promotional space",

tote bag

, "tote",

it-bag

,

"bag iconic”

,

or even

must have,

to be translated as “indispensable”.

fashion under influence

The phenomenon is not recent.

Marie-Alice Rebours, translator, reports on this in her thesis on linguistic borrowings from English in ready-to-wear since the 1950s. She explains that one out of two terms in the lexical field of fashion is under influence of English.

A tendency that she does not reduce to a simple coquetry of language, because for her, few borrowings are not justified.

During the conference "Dire la Mode en français" organized by the Culture(s) de Mode research network in 2021, the researcher returned to xenisms, terms referring to objects belonging to another culture, such as the kilt.

Less inevitable in appearance, other borrowings, such as

it-girls

and other

tote bags

pointed out by the Commission for the Enrichment of the French Language, also seem to meet various needs.

"Brands need to find a new name for a product to boost sales, [...] to adopt, for young brands or those in decline, the terminology of international leaders to to relate, [...] to distinguish oneself from previous generations, from different communities...” explains Marie-Alice Rebours.

According to the expert, the use of English is largely motivated by commercial and image purposes.

Significant challenges for an industry that represents 3.1% of French GDP (French Fashion Institute, 2018).

Should we therefore fear the extinction of the French language in fashion jargon?

A "franglais" without return?

For the researcher, the incursions of English into the French language remain ephemeral, and as cyclical as fashion can be.

"There was a big wave of borrowing in the 1960s, another in the 1990s and a big wave for 10 years," observes Marie-Alice Rebours.

Without yet being able to comment on the sustainability of this new wave of Anglicism, she notes that this period of thirty years represents approximately one generation.

And suggests that each of them might need its own terminology to assert itself.

Even if it means doing so by freeing oneself from the language of Molière.

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Source: lefigaro

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