Anglicisms in French
Every language borrows from others. However, whether or not those borrowed words are accepted or considered correct depends on the speakers and the official language academies. In French, for example, week-end is an anglicism that is accepted in France but not in Quebec.
But what exactly is an anglicism? Anglicisms are improper uses of syntax, spelling, or pronunciation of words derived from English. Although common in spoken French, they are frowned upon in more formal contexts.
There are several different categories of anglicisms in French.
1. Semantic anglicisms
Semantic anglicisms are also known as “false friends”. These typically involve using words that exist in French with the English meaning.
e.g.:
Définitivement (to mean: definitely) – instead, use: certainement, assurément
- Définitivement in French means “in a definitive manner, irrevocably, forever”
Pratiquer (to mean: to practice) – instead, use: s’entraîner
- Pratiquer in French means “to put something into practice, to follow, to perform”
Supporter (to mean: to support) – instead, use: encourager, soutenir, appuyer, aider, commanditer
- Supporter in French means “to bear, to handle, to tolerate”
Alternative (to mean: alternative) – instead use: solution, possibilité, choix, option
- Alternative in French means “a situation where one must choose between two (and only two) options”
Estimé (to mean: estimate) – instead, use: estimation, prévision, évaluation
- Estimé in French only exists as a participe passé of the verb estimer
Opportunité (to mean: opportunity) – instead, use: occasion, chance, possibilité
- Opportunité in French means “a favourable occasion, something that is convenient and/or timely”
Questionner (to mean: to question) – instead use: mettre en doute, douter de, contester, s’interroger sur
- Questionner in French means “to interrogate someone”
2. Lexical anglicisms
Lexical anglicisms involve using English words directly in French. These words are sometimes modified to have a more “frenchified” spelling, but the English term is easily recognizable.
e.g.:
Feedback – instead, use: rétroaction
Remake – instead, use: nouvelle adaptation
Best-seller – instead, use: succès en librairie
Coach – instead, use: mentor, entraîneur
Pacemaker – instead, use: stimulateur cardiaque
Brainstorming – instead, use: remue-méninges
Challenge – instead, use: défi
Kit – instead, use: ensemble
3. Syntactic anglicisms
Syntactic anglicisms are expressions that are translated literally from English. They typically involve using the wrong prepositions or the wrong word order in French.
a. Wrong preposition
e.g.:
Être sur l’avion (to mean: to be on a plane) – instead, use: être dans l’avion
Siéger sur un comité (to mean: to be in a committee) – instead, use: siéger à un comité
Vivre en campagne (to mean: to live in the countryside) – instead, use: vivre à la campagne
Être sur aide sociale (to mean: to be on welfare) – instead, use: vivre de l’aide sociale
Un patient sous observation (to mean: a patient under observation) – instead, use: un patient en observation
b. Wrong word order
e.g.:
Les premiers trois mois (to mean: the first three months) – instead, use: les trois premiers mois
Un bon dix minutes (to mean: a good ten minutes) – instead, use: dix bonnes minutes
La personne que j’ai parlé avec (to mean: the person I spoke with) – instead, use: la personne avec qui j’ai parlé
c. Literal translation
e.g.:
Il est un policier (to mean: he is a police officer) – instead, use: il est policier
Être en charge de (to mean: to be in charge of) – instead, use: être chargé/responsable de
Faire du sens (to mean: to make sense) – instead, use: avoir du sens, être logique
Mettre l’emphase sur (to mean: to put emphasis on) – instead, use: mettre l’accent sur, mettre en évidence, insister sur
Demander une question (to mean: to ask a question) – instead, use: poser/formuler une question
Pour votre information (to mean: for your information) – instead, use: pour information, à titre d’information/informatif, à titre indicatif
À l’année longue (to mean: all year long) – instead, use: toute l’année
Heures d’affaires (to mean: business hours) – instead, use: heures d’ouverture/ de bureau
Appel longue distance (to mean: long distance call) – instead, use: appel interurbain
4. Phonetic anglicisms
Phonetic anglicisms involve pronouncing French terms like their English counterparts.
e.g.:
Tévé (to mean: TV) – instead, use: télé
5. Orthographic anglicisms
Orthographic anglicisms are words that exist in French and usually have the same meaning as their English counterpart, but that are spelled the English way instead of the French.
e.g.:
Adresse, not address
Appartement, not apartment
Langage, not language
Girafe, not giraffe
Trafic, not traffic
Gaz, not gas
Connexion, not connection
6. Anglicisms in Quebec
Quebec is known for being stricter about allowing the use of anglicisms in every day speech. That is not to say that they are not present (they are and there’s a lot of them), but some of the terms used internationally have their own French equivalents in the province.
Here are some English terms used in other francophone countries that are considered improper in Quebec.
Week-end – instead, use: fin de semaine
Shopping – instead, use: magasinage
Parking – instead, use: stationnement
E-mail/mail – instead, use: courriel
Drive-in – instead, use: service-au-volant