The word "e-mail" can now no longer be used in French official communication, including documents, memos, the internet and even e-mails themselves.
The General Commission on Terminology and Neology, part of the French Culture Ministry and affiliated to the Academie Francaise--which outlawed the word "Walkman" in favour of "baladeur" some years ago--prefers the French alternative "courriel."
The edict on "courriel," a shortened version of the phrase "courrier electronique," or electronic mail, is not expected to make a lot of difference to the common parlance of French technophiles.
"E-mail" has been in use in Europe for years, and the commission's decision will be largely arbitrary to French speakers, who are particularly fond of slipping the odd English word--"le meeting," "le cash"--into conversation.
The word "courriel" is French Canadian in origin, a French dialect considered a bastardisation of the language by traditionalists in France.
And yet English is full of French words like "garage" and "automobile"
What's their problem?!?!?!
On the other hand should we follow the French and ban the use of words from the US like "color", "nite", and my pet hate "thru"?