PARIS — Perhaps France was always going to have a hard time with nonbinary pronouns. Its language is intensely gender-specific and fiercely protected by august authorities.
Still, the furor provoked by a prominent dictionary’s inclusion of the pronoun “iel” has been remarkably virulent. Le Petit Robert, rivaled only by the Larousse in linguistic authority, chose to add “iel” — a gender-neutral merging of the masculine “il” (he) and the feminine “elle” (she) — to its latest online edition.
Jean-Michel Blanquer, the education minister, was not amused. “You must not manipulate the French language, whatever the cause,” he said, expressing support for the view that “iel” was an expression of “wokisme.” Mr.