The decision by a major French dictionary to include a gender-inclusive pronoun in its online edition has triggered angry reactions from lawmakers and defenders of the nation's language.
French dictionary Le Robert decided to add the entry"iel" -- a combination of"il" and"elle," which means"he" and"she" in French respectively -- into the online version of its dictionary in October.It's a"personal subject pronoun of the third person singular and plural, used to refer to a person regardless of gender," the dictionary entry reads.
" CNN has reached out to the French Academy, the governing body of the French language, for comment. French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal reiterated the government's position"not to use inclusive writing in all official documents and administrative documents," at his weekly press conference on Wednesday. Le Robert responded with a statement on Wednesday saying that it is simply trying to reflect recent changes in the French language that it has noticed.
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