There are many good things to be said about France and French culture. I’ll never forget the only time I visited Paris, as a young art student. I remember walking around, past the Louvre, the Muse d’Orsay, down the lovely streets, and thinking to myself that I could easily live in such exquisiteness. The gracious avenues, the generous parks and the wedding-cake architecture beguiled and seduced me with its beauty, gentility, and refinement.
A crayfish
My experiences with French food have always been almost as good. Before I became a Muslim, and didn’t have to worry about the alcohol in the food, I enjoyed nearly every type of French food I ate – except for one unfortunate experience with a crayfish in a French New York restaurant. And, as an artist, I unabashedly love the artwork of many French artists, and made a pilgrimage to Paris to do nothing but visit museum after museum and soak up all the art I could.
And this purity, this refinement is wonderful, and is part of the allure of things French. And the tender, melodic French language is yet another example of French charm. Still, it’s common knowledge that the French themselves work hard to continue this sort of selective self-purification – right down to what words are officially recognized as French. In order to maintain “French eloquence” the Académie française controls the influx of English words (and other words, I assume) – and I see their point. If the French language, in and of itself, can be considered a communal and on-going work-in-progress, then one would want to keep it pure and focused.
French handshake stamp 1959
But English isn’t like that. As French’s rather uncouth 2nd cousin, twice-removed, English takes on all newcomers, and includes them with a hearty handshake and a slap on the back, rather then a limp French hand-clasp full of politesse. English speakers embrace, well, everything – and although there is a distinction between standard and non-standard usage – eventually what was one generation’s slang becomes acceptable to newer generations.
So in celebration of inclusive English you may enjoy this apropos post: Make Way For New Words, which highlights my favorite dictionary, The Oxford Dictionary of American English