Since the law of June 28, 1833, the State has made the learning of “elements of the French language” compulsory in primary schools. Understand: spelling and grammar! According to the Larousse, spelling includes the set of rules and uses defined as a standard for writing the words of a given language. Since when has the French language been unified by such rules and usages?
It was under the reign of François 1er that French became the official language of the kingdom with the adoption of the famous ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539. Then, the French spelling was fixed with the creation of the French Academy in the XVII century. Its mission was to write a reference dictionary.
In an information note published last December, the Ministry of Education noted that young French people know how to write less and less well. The grammatical spelling is the first source of their difficulty. According to this ministerial note, CM2 students have worse spelling results in 2021 than those assessed in 1987, 2007 or even 2015. In the context of a dictation, students make an average of 19.4 errors compared to 18 in 2015 , 14.7 in 2007 and 10.7 in 1987. However, for some, spelling remains a fun way to test their knowledge.
Consonant, vowel, triple count word… French seems like child’s play. What memory do you have of your first dictation in primary school? What grade did you get on the leaving certificate? What works did you study for oral French before the baccalaureate?
After this nostalgic parenthesis, some of you studied literature or worked as a teacher for the National Education. Others preferred to juggle numbers or speak the language of Shakespeare. However, the French are never far away on a daily basis… So during our free time, it is possible to improve your general knowledge by all means.
Alone on a crossword page, with friends during a game of Scrabble or with the family in front of your TV at any time of the day: at the hour of the 12 strokes of noon, at the end of the afternoon- noon for Slam or the weekend in front of Numbers (and above all) letters, all these entertainments help to strengthen our brain.
Do you think you know Molière’s language like the back of your hand? Words hold no secrets for you? Planet offers you to test your knowledge with a spelling quiz. The principle is simple: scroll through the slideshow (below), read carefully and answer the following 10 questions. Will you get the perfect score? Up to you !