#HTE

The latest campaign to protect the French language isn’t being waged over anglicisms like “hashtag” or “selfie,” but the design of a keyboard.

This week, the French government announced a plan to standardize the French-language computer keyboard, as part of an effort to help protect and nurture the language. The ministry of culture and communication says it’s “nearly impossible to correctly write French” on keyboards sold in the country today, meaning that the language’s strict grammatical rules are being flouted more regularly. The ministry has partnered with a standardization group to develop a new keyboard norm, which will be presented for public feedback this summer.

Unlike the QWERTY keyboards on most devices in the US and Europe,…

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http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/21/10805562/france-change-keyboard-layout-azerty