Selfie and troll are in dictionary

MORE English words have made their way into the French dictionary, despite the efforts of the prestigious Académie Française to maintain the language’s ‘purity’.

On the day that Sir Michael Edwards became the first Briton to join the so-called “Immortals”, tasked with protecting the French language, the country’s two main dictionaries, Robert and Larousse - which marks its 110th anniversary this year - have let slip a few words that have made it into their 2015 editions.

Many of the 150 new words added to French dictionaries come from the internet and social media.

Among them are the previously officially frowned-upon “hashtag”. In January 2013, the Official Journal said that “hashtag” should be replaced with its French equivalent “mot-dièse” in official documents.

“Selfie” and “cyberattaque” have also been added, as has “troll”, for someone who makes abusive comments online.

Moving away from the online world, economy minister Arnaud Montebourg will be delighted to see the phrase “Made in France” included.

Non-Anglophone words that are already in common use, such as “zumba”, “pilates” and “barista” have also been defined in the latest editions of the dictionaries.

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Photo: Tim Green