Le Robert, one of France's leading dictionaries, said recently that it added a new pronoun to its online list of words.The publication's researchers noticed growing usage of the pronoun in recent months.The pronoun is "iel." It can be used with non-binary people--people who do not identify themselves as male or female.In English, "they" has been in use for several years by people who do not identify themselves as male or female.Some well-known people--including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris--put their pronoun on Twitter, in emails and on documents.This shows readers which pronoun to use with them.The move by Le Robert created debate in a country where the rules of language are very important.It also has created debate in the French press and on social media, with several politicians taking issue with the term.The French government is against the idea.The Education Ministry resisted earlier attempts to make such changes in language teaching at schools.Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer does not support teaching what is called inclusive writing.
