PARIS: It’s a neutral pronoun that’s proving anything but: A non-binary pronoun added to an esteemed French dictionary has ignited a fierce linguistic squabble. Le Petit Robert introduced the word “iel” — an amalgamation of “il” (he) and “elle” (she) — to its online edition last month. On Wednesday, education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer tweeted to say that “inclusive writing is not the future of French language” and warned that schoolkids should not use “iel” despite its inclusion in Le Robert, seen as a linguistic authority on French since 1967. Ruling party lawmaker Francois Jolivet said nonbinary pronouns are a worrying sign that France is embracing the US’ “woke” ideology.
The general director of Le Robert editions, Charles Bimbenet, in the dictionary’s defence said it was only elucidating the word’s meaning since it is growing in currency nationwide. The move, however, was welcomed by non-binary French.
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