91ÅÝܽ

Key Dimensions of Language and Terminology: Real-Time Updates to the Evolving Language of Urban Practice in Ecological Transition

A research practice partnership with the French Delegation for the French Language and Languages of France (DGLFLF), within the Ministry of Culture, revealed the inner workings of efforts to ensure the French language keeps pace with evolving terminology of the sustainable city in urban design, planning and development practice. Etienne Quillot, senior staff with the DGLFLF, made the case for this work to ensure clarity and consistency in professional French terminology, in the face of neologisms, and the tendency to borrow from English as well. However, Quillot also made the case for this work as a creative and co-constructive practice of crafting new French terms that may be called for by an introduction of term in English or another language, but that calls for a French-specific union of words and sounds into something more creatively and explicitly French. When this process works well, the success can be measured as the anchoring of new terms in French language, culture, and professional practice. The new French term « infox, » a clever merging of « infos » and « faux » is a case in point : clearly a French formulation, and removes the need to rely on the English term « » which has risen in popularity in recent years, while carrying the same level of colloquialism and sense.

The urbanist member of the collaborative project, Cédissia 91ÅÝܽ, as well as the interpretation specialist Pascale Elbaz, and student Marie Denesle, discussed other highlights of the project of bringing together new French vocabulary related to the green transition. Together, their review of the project demonstrated that the production of new terms demands expertise from different directions and strategic and collaborative consideration, not arbitrary assignment. The rapidly evolving terminology of the sustainable city and the ecological transition plays a structuring role in the field of practice, allowing a host of practitioners and users of city spaces to recognize change and place change in the context of what they understand to be important within the complex urban fabric.