Quebec's Language Watchdog Is Pimping French Alternatives To Internet Lingo Like 'Selfie'

Let's take a mot-clic #égoportrait. In November 2021, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) conducted a campaign to get young Quebecers to use French on social media.

Partage ton françaisOffice québécois de la langue française | YouTube

The campaign, entitled Partage ton français, targeted teens aged 13 to 17 and included posters offering French alternatives to common internet lingo like selfie (égoportrait), binge-watching (visionnement en rafale) and newsfeed (fil d'actualité), among other casual terms relating to fashion, sports and video games.

The OQLF also designed shareable social media stickers on Giphy encouraging students to "partage ton amour," "partage ton exploit," "partage ton humour," "partage ton œuvre" and "partage ton escapade."

High school teachers could also find workshops that challenged students to think about the language they use on social media.

The Partage ton français campaign ran from November 3 to 30.