Less than a hundred days before the Presidential, the presumed or declared candidates are refining their programs.
Some do not hesitate to slip in inclusive writing, epicene vocabulary, this language supposed to be “
more inclusive
” and “
aiming to ensure gender equality in the French language
”.
Le Figaro
takes stock of these politicians who are followers or resistant to this spelling.
Read alsoYves-Charles Zarka: "
Inclusive writing: a tyranny imposed on the French language
"
Éric Zemmour, defender of "
the language that disintegrates
"
"
We want to keep our language, the most beautiful in the world, the clearest, we want to protect it from American, North African influence and from inclusive writing
," Eric Zemmour said on Twitter last October, following a visit in Nimes.
The polemicist wishes to defend the French language and its grammar.
In a column published in the columns of
Figaro
in September 2018, he had already made this speech: “
Our dear French language is a masterpiece in danger.
The new generations - products of modernist education - ignore, even despise, spelling;
and cruelly torture a syntax that has done them nothing.
The French language does not evolve, it disintegrates.
And a symptom of this decadence: generalization, inclusive writing.
The latter would be “
a war machine to destroy the language
”, he denounced on February 8 on CNEWS.
Read alsoÉric Zemmour: “
The French language, a masterpiece in danger
”
Valérie Pécresse, the one who wants to "
ban inclusive writing
"
“
I will ban inclusive writing
”, declared Valérie Pécresse on January 17 on Europe 1 because “
it excludes
”.
A few weeks earlier in Le Grand Jury, she had criticized a deep diversion of the French language, "
which is already a difficult language".
Read also“I will ban inclusive writing”, declares Valérie Pécresse
The regional president was delighted to have "
removed inclusive writing in administrative texts
" unlike her predecessor, Jean-Paul Huchon.
Indeed, since the circular of November 21, 2017, “
government administrations must comply with grammatical and syntactical rules, in particular for reasons of intelligibility and clarity of the standard
”.
Emmanuel Macron, the inclusive speaker
“
Thank you for your commitment to all of you
”, declared Emmanuel Macron, on May 7, 2017 at the Louvre following his victory in the second round.
A few weeks later, before the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad, he reproduced this variation of the masculine and then the feminine.
“
I know ladies and gentlemen that we all share the same feeling.
»
Read alsoFor his end of term, Emmanuel Macron turns his back on inclusive writing
The current President of the Republic, and as yet undeclared candidate, easily uses what is called inclusive orality.
In other words, he will not use a midpoint to mark his desire to leave no one behind but decline it orally.
It should be noted, however, that in his New Year's Eve greetings to the French, the outgoing President limited himself to the male gender of the common noun "
president
", declaring: "
We will have to elect the President of the Republic next spring, then appoint our representatives to the National Assembly
”.
While two weeks later, in front of the European Parliament, he feminized the title of "
the President of the Commission
", as well as that of "
Chancellor Merkel
".
Read alsoIs inclusive writing really forbidden at school?
However, during his mandate, Emmanuel Macron acted twice on the regulatory level against the generalization of inclusive writing.
In November 2017, under the government of Édouard Philippe, texts published in the Official Journal were required to "
not make use of so-called inclusive writing
".
This was followed last May by its ban on schools.
Thus in the JDD, the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer considered that
“putting dots in the middle of words is a barrier to the transmission of our language for all, for example for dyslexic students.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, silent but committed
Jean-Luc Mélenchon did not comment directly on inclusive writing. He even undertook “
to defend
it ” on November 3 before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.
However, his party La France insoumise uses it cheerfully.
“
We have set ourselves the watchword of using it everywhere, regardless of the medium
,” said Sarah Legrain, national speaker and LFI executive
, in an interview with
Le Figaro .
We want to make women more visible by addressing them directly.
We do this either by employing the masculine and the feminine, or by using epicene words, or by using the famous midpoint.
“At the last meeting of the candidate in Bordeaux, the deputy LFI Loïc Prud’homme made use of it orally by welcoming a “
team of caregivers
”.
Read alsoFrom “gazelle modesty” to “Monsieur l’intelligent”: the public speaking of Jean-Luc Mélenchon
However, looking at the program for 2022 as well as the parliamentary report of the LFI group, inclusive writing is not appropriate.
A reluctance shared by Jean-Luc Mélenchon who does not use it orally.
Thus he chooses to say,
"this change [...] it is you who will make it, those at work, those in action, those on the ground
", and not to make use of the "
those and those
".
Anne Hidalgo, pioneer and resistant... to impose inclusive writing
Anne Hidalgo has never hidden her intention to
"promote, reinforce and guarantee equality, in her actions with regard to her agents as well as to her inhabitants and users of the Parisian territory",
as she indicated on the site of the town hall of Paris.
And thus affirm his taste for inclusive writing.
In 2017 when its use for administrative documents was banned, his assistant Hélène Bidard replied: “
We keep writing inclusive.
We understand French when we write ''.e''!
".
In the same vein, in November 2019, the city councilor inaugurated two commemorative plaques in inclusive writing, paying tribute to the
"Counsellor.es"
and
"Président.es"
from Paris.
Passed over in silence for two years, they were revealed by the opposition group "
Changer Paris
" in December 2021. The town hall kicked in touch,
"the doctrine is not to retain inclusive writing in the wording of commemorative plaques »
.
Read also“People in a street situation”, “peaceful movements”: diving into Hidalgo newspeak
A few weeks later, questioned on France Inter, Anne Hidalgo had played the card of the reasoned candidate.
“
I practice inclusive writing, I see it, but I don't think it's always very understandable.
[...] I think that in the country the subjects with the inclusive writing should not occupy us more than five seconds.
»
Read alsoThese political parties that already use inclusive writing
Yannick Jadot, the assumed inclusive candidate
The Greens have never hidden it.
For several years, they have been campaigning to introduce inclusive writing into the public sphere.
Yannick Jadot is no exception to the rule.
In April 2021, he reacted on Twitter: “
Gravity in the face of perils, responsibility vis-à-vis the French people, enthusiasm to build a project of hope for France in 2022!
".
Thus generalizing inclusive writing in writing.
Which can be found in its official program for 2022. Thus we can read: “
We were not ready to experience this pandemic
”.
Note that in this desire to best marry the writing, the Greens have forgotten to appeal to the midpoint and not to the classic point.