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For what it's worth, French is also controlled by speakers. The pompous authority is just lagging behind.


There is not authority for french, it's a myth.

The Académie has no authority whatsoever, it's little more than a club for writers. The Education Ministry has authority for school programs and what is accepted in French language classes, but only in France. It only ever allows new uses, never forbids previously allowed things.

The OQLF (and French language Ministry) has a broader authority within Québec, but only for Québec.

The Ministry of Culture has some authority within the Brussels-Wallonia federation but it's quite limited.

No idea what it's like in Switzerland.

But there is no global authority for the French language (unlike German or Dutch for example). The language evolves by consensus.




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