![]() ![]() For instance, it suggested to remove the circumflex from above the letters ‘i’ and ‘u’ where the accent does not change the pronunciation nor the meaning of the word, as in ‘paraître’ (to appear) or ‘coût’ (cost). It originally proposed to “fix some anomalies” and to somehow standardise and simplify certain quirks of the French language. The spelling reform put forward in 1990 by the Conseil supérieur de la langue française (High Council of the French Language), and vetted by the Académie Française, never actually aimed to kill the circumflex or to become compulsory. ‘Mûr’ means ‘mature’, while ‘mur’ means ‘wall’ ‘jeûne’ means fasting while ‘jeune’ means young. ![]() More practically, it can also change the meaning of a word. The circumflex accent adds a certain musicality to a word some would argue it confers poetry to words. In French, the vowel so marked has a certain grave and long sound quality. What is the circumflex accent? Indicated by the sign ^, it is placed over a vowel to show that the vowel or syllable containing it must be pronounced in a certain way. It is a powerful ingredient of the French identity and one the French people have always felt passionate about. Used by the state as a unifying tool, the French language was instrumental in the birth of the modern French nation. What the French quite literally meant was that they took this spelling reform as an attack on their language, which they deem as serious as an attack on their freedom of speech. Social networks were suddenly inundated with the hashtag #Circonflexe and #JeSuisCirconflexe, in a nod to #JeSuisCharlie, which became a rallying cry of defiance after the 2015 terrorist attacks against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The French are notoriously touchy, or sentimental, about their language but on realising that the circumflex accent was at risk of disappearing from 2000 French words (ie 3% of the French lexicon), they reacted with anger. On 4 February the French learned that a spelling reform – approved in 1990 but never implemented – would be taught in schools starting in September and will be featured in all new school manuals.
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