EJP | News | France | Dictionary turns anti-Semitic following computer error

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Dictionary turns anti-Semitic following computer error

Updated: 27/Oct/2005 17:05

The cover of the latest Littre French dictionary

Photo: Garnier

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Racist and anti-Semitic explanations of French words were mistakenly published in the latest edition of a French dictionary after a computer error placed the original 1874 version on the page.

In the 2005 version of the Petit Littre dictionary the word Jew was erroneously defined as “To be rich as a Jew, to be quite rich. Someone who practices usury, someone who sells in exorbitant prices. In general, a person that is harshly trying to earn money.”

The publisher, Garnier, which was severely criticised by anti-racist movement MRAP, recalled the books at the end of September and the new rectified version will be released next month.

A spokesman for Garnier explained the mistake. He said: “This affair is easier to understand when you are familiar with the Littre. This dictionary gives the 19th century definitions on one column and the modern ones on another. The Petit Littre’s goal is to show our society’s evolution over the years.

“In the 2005 edition, a computer virus deleted the separation between the two columns. The original and the modern definitions then fused and the readers would read the 1874 definition as though it were the latest one.”

Other racist stereotypes

Our mistake is that we didn’t check the dictionary thoroughly enough

The Littre editor

It was not only jews who suffered from the terminology of the Littre dictiary. The term ‘Arab’ was defined as “Originally from Arabia. Usurer, a greedy person.”

MRAP said it was outraged by this “distribution that enables racist stereotypes to become commonplace.”

Next to the racist stereotypes, the readers could also find erroneous 19th century definitions of all kinds. Some geographical items have long disappeared from the French language.

“Our mistake is that we didn’t check the dictionary thoroughly enough,” the editor told EJP. “But we had no racist or anti-Semitic intentions. Once we were aware of this problem we recalled all the books immediately.”

Controversy compared

This affair bears several paradoxes, one of which is the fact that Emile Littre, the philosopher who created the dictionary in 1974, was a liberal man in his time. The fact that his view of things has become so controversial shows to what degree our society has evolved.

Additionaly, another editor, Hachette, has for many years been publishing the original 19th century Littre dictionary, without ever being accused of bigotry.

The difference is that the Hachette dictionary is clearly presented as the 1874 edition whereas the Garnier dictionary was supposed to be the latest 2005 edition.

Latifa Abed, a proprietor who runs a bookstore that sold the controversial dictionary, commented: “When you’re trying to democratise books and culture your simply have to be rigorous.”

“This time we will read the [revised version of the] book with great caution,” assured the editor.

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