Un gisement de correspondances féminines au siècle des Lumières: les Archives d’Argenson. Contribution à une étude des pratiques orthographiques des femmes au royaume de la variante
Enquiries into the codification of the French spelling during the 18th century: women’s orthography and the norm

Author(s): Philippe Caron
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Studies of Literature, French Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: French orthography; 18th century
Summary/Abstract: In France, during the 18th century, there is a high level of flexibility in the way printers and writers spell their text. Not only do written productions differ considerably from one to another but the dictionaries themselves sometimes display a range of variants for the same word till the end of the century. The French Academy has not yet its full authority and shows little concern in creating a standard at the beginning. Nevertheless, the 1740 and 1762 issues of its dictionary tend to become more influential. Such a change in the way people consider its usage may explain why written practice, namely among the nobility, shows a growing concern for orthography by the end of the 18th century.

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