France’s University of Lyon is facing criticism for incorporating “invented” and “inclusive” language into a law exam, thereby rendering it “unreadable”.
The Union Nationale Inter-universitaire (UNI), a right-winged student union, posted the controversial exam on Twitter.
The family law exam given to first-year bachelor students included a case involving a non-binary couple referred to as “Touz* deux,” as opposed to the more conventional “tous les deux“, meaning “both”. The protagonists were identified as Als*, highlighting the fact that they had “different gametes,” signifying their ability to “procreate through artificial insemination”. To accomplish this, they required the assistance of health “professionaels”: a deliberate, inclusive spelling of the word professionals.
The exam text was peppered with “new” French terms. UNI condemned it as “woke propaganda” promoting a particular ideological agenda.
? Voici un sujet donné aux étudiants de droit, à Lyon 2.
Ceux-ci sont ainsi incités à écrire en écriture inclusive. Pire encore: sous prétexte d’inclusivité, certains mots sont inventés !
Les sujets d’examen ne doivent pas être le lieu de la propagande woke ! pic.twitter.com/rH6QyLpl5T— UNI Lyon (@LyonUni) May 10, 2023
The lecturer who set the exam also suggested students “respond in standard or inclusive French”. Many students found the exam illegible. Following the controversy, the University was forced to react. It said each teacher was free to choose his or her own form of exam language style. Authorities would only intervene if the text was racist or denigrating.The lecturer responsible for setting the exam is due to speak on the controversy.
The Académie Française, the French-language watchdog, has warned of the danger of so-called inclusive writing, stating that it confuses people and makes texts unreadable.
