Frenchification

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of adopting French language, culture, customs, or stylistic elements into another language or society; the influence or imposition of French characteristics on others; the act of rendering something distinctly French in nature
2. The act or effect of integrating French linguistic or cultural traits into foreign contexts; the modification of language, behavior, or identity to resemble that of France; the transformation resulting from French influence
3. The assimilation or adaptation of foreign languages or cultures by incorporating French modes, manners, or language; a cultural or linguistic shift toward French norms; the phenomenon of becoming French in style or expression

Etymology: "Frenchification" is a plain formation: English "Frenchify" (to make French in character or style) with the suffix "-ation" added to turn the verb into a noun for the process. "Frenchify" itself is built from "French" and the verb-forming suffix "-ify," which comes through Old French from Latin "-ificare," meaning "to make." The pattern is a common one in English, seen in older coinages like "Gallicize" and "Anglicize," and the "-ation" ending follows the same route as countless other process nouns. The word's sense is broader than the French language alone. It can describe the adoption of French fashions, manners, cooking, or vocabulary by people or places outside France, and it can also describe a country or culture gradually taking on French habits. Because the suffix attaches to the adjective "French" rather than to a Latin or Greek base, the word wears its origin openly, which is part of why it reads so transparently to English speakers.

Synonyms: frenchification, Francization, gallicization, frenchifying

Antonyms: defrenchification, anglicization, degallicization