Use florilège not ‘best of’ Académie

For the first time, it has created a section of its website where it will regularly update a list of “errors, tics of language and ridiculous usages most commonly seen in contemporary French”.

A “best of”, it says, is mainly used to refer to a selection of songs or sketches that have been especially successful, but is extended, for example, to publications about popular things from quotations to recipes.

Better words include florilège, le meilleur de or simply choix or sélection, the academy says.

The venerable body, set up by Cardinal Richelieu in the 17th century, decrees “good usage” in French, which it does mainly through publishing a dictionary (the 9th version, on which work started in 1972, is currently up to quadrivium).

Among other matters it also gives the final go-ahead to proposed French alternatives to anglicisms to be made obligatory to French officials (see box, below).

Its new Dire, ne pas dire (Say, do not say) will be updated after monthly discussions among the 40 academy members, a spokeswoman said.

Known as the “immortals”, they are elected from public figures in the arts, science, politics etc who have made distinguished contributions to language.

On official occasions they wear a green-coloured outfit including a tri-corn hat, cape and sword.

Other matters vetoed on the site so far include:

* Saying sur instead of à in phrases like je travaille à Paris or je vais à Lyon

* Impacter, used as a verb meaning to effect something when the French word l’impact properly refers only to great violence, as caused by a bullet or shell.

* Pas de souci (“no worries”), used to agree to something. Alternatives include oui, or cela ne pose pas de difficulté.

* Saying “excessive” things like absolument, parfaitement or effectivement instead of oui
For the site, see www.academie-francaise.fr (click la langue française)