Off-topic: X la franXaise

[Patricia M Godfrey pmgodfrey@xxxxxxxx]

I know we have several language scholars, and even more word-lovers,
here, so thought some might be interested in this item: the French
Ministry of Culture has forbidden civil servants to use the Franglais
term  In its place they are to use the Québecois word
 a portmanteau word blending  and <électronique.>
The Ministry declined, however, to accept the Québecois terms for "spam"
( a further blend of  and  `garbage') and
"IRC" ( a blend of  `keyboard,' and 
`chattering'). What was surprising was that a spokeswoman for the
Ministry was quoted as saying, "We like it [sc., the language of Québec]
a lot, but we don't quite have the same criteria..." A friend and former
colleague of mine, a connoisseur of good French, used to have fits when
he had to wrestle with Québecois, and it would be shockingly politically
incorrect for me to repeat how he characterized it.
Patricia