The History Behind French Language Reforms

From Latin Roots to Vulgar French

• French evolved from Vulgar Latin, introduced by Roman settlers in Gaul. It gradually merged with local Celtic and Frankish linguistic influences to form Old French by the 9th century. Early written examples include the Oaths of Strasbourg (842) which mark one of the first usages of proto-French in text.
  
• Over time, regional dialects such as the langues d’Oïl (northern France) and langues d’Oc (southern France) competed for dominance. The dialect of Paris later evolved into francien, which became the foundation for Modern French.
  

The Ordinance of Villers‑Cotterêts (1539)

• One of the first major reforms occurred under King François I, who signed the Ordinance of Villers‑Cotterêts, requiring all legal and administrative documents across France to be written in French, not Latin. This marked a decisive step toward linguistic unity and official status for French.
• Around a decade later, poet Joachim du Bellay published The Defense and Illustration of the French Language, advocating for enriching French to rival Latin in prestige and literary expression.

Rise of Standardization: Middle French & the Renaissance

• The printing press (circa 15th century) helped standardize spelling and grammar, reducing regional variation in written texts.
  
• Humanist scholars like Geofroy Tory and Robert Estienne pushed for phonetic spelling conventions, introducing typographic elements like accents, apostrophes, and the tréma for clarity in pronunciation.
  

Codification under the Académie Française

• Founded in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the Académie Française was tasked with regulating French, publishing standardized dictionaries and setting grammatical norms. Its first official dictionary appeared in 1694.
• In the 18th century, subsequent editions introduced major orthographic reforms: removal of silent consonants, adoption of j and v in place of i and u, and standardized accents across vowel distinctions. These changes helped align spelling with evolving pronunciation while retaining etymological roots.

Revolutionary Unity and Linguistic Assimilation

• During the French Revolution, Abbé Grégoire launched a campaign to eradicate regional languages, calling them “patois,” and promote French as the language of national unity. This effort continued through early 19th-century policies enforcing French in all public administration.
  
• Jules Ferry laws of 1881–82 made French education compulsory, prohibiting pupils from speaking regional languages. This significantly accelerated the decline of regional languages like Breton, Occitan, and Alsatian.

Legal Protections and Language Policy

• Until 1992, French had no constitutional affirmation. That year, French was officially declared the language of the Republic, solidifying its legal status during the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty and rising concerns over external linguistic influences.
• The Toubon Law (1994) mandated French use in government, commerce, advertising, and education, reinforcing linguistic sovereignty and curbing the encroachment of foreign terms (especially from English).

Modern Orthographic Reforms: The 1990 & 2016 Reforms

• In 1990, under Prime Minister Michel Rocard, the Conseil supérieur de la langue française proposed reforms to simplify French orthography, such as removing optional circumflex accents, adjusting hyphenation in compound words, and standardizing plural forms like après-midis and og­non.
  
• Those reforms became officially published in December 1990, but widespread adoption didn’t follow immediately ⎯ traditional and new spellings coexisted.
  
• In 2016, schools began using the updated spellings as options. Words like maîtresse became maitresse, and oignon became ognon in some publications. Despite controversy, both forms remain valid.

The Debate: Tradition vs. Evolution

• Critics argue reforms are too slow or insufficient. For instance, the 9th edition of the Dictionnaire de l’Académie published in 2024 included over 21,000 new words, such as super-héros, vegan, and risotto. Yet it notably omitted modern terms like smartphone or web, prompting criticism for being disconnected from living language realities.
• The Académie Française, often criticized for elitism and rigidity, sees its slow, deliberate process as preserving clarity and tradition, but opponents call for more agile responses to linguistic change.

Key Milestones Summary

• 1539: Ordinance of Villers‑Cotterêts mandates French in law.
  
• 1635: Académie Française founded, first dictionary in 1694.
  
• 18th Century: Major phonetic and typographic reforms (accents, silent letters dropped).
  
• 1790s–1880s: Regional languages suppressed via educational policies.
  
• 1992: French becomes constitutional national language.
  
• 1994: Toubon Law codifies French usage in public and commercial spheres.
  
• 1990/2016: Orthographic reforms introduced, gradually adopted.
  

Conclusion

The evolution of the French language reflects centuries of cultural, political, and intellectual reform. From centralized state reforms to modern spelling simplifications, French has continuously adapted, balancing preservation with practical change. Today, the tension between tradition and evolution remains alive, embodied in debates over spellings, neologisms, and the role of authoritative institutions like the Académie Française.

French language reforms remind us that language is a living institution, shaped by history, governed by policy, and ultimately steered by its speakers.