Why France Is Changing The Term For Binge Drinking

A language says a lot about the society that speaks it. Take Iceland, for example — the country has 40-plus words for "Green." The same theory goes for the French; we can all agree its language perfectly embodies that, well, je ne sais quoi they have. And now, it seems the country is trying to use language to improve the way they think about binge drinking — they're officially changing the term from the Anglo-borrowed "le binge drinking" to "beuverie express," literally meaning "fast drinking." At first listen, we have to say that it sounds way more fancy than scary, (and not unlike a place to grab a croissant at the airport).

While the change, made by the French General Commission of Terminology and Neology (yes, that's a real thing), is in part an effort to protect the language from outside sounds (read: English), it's also to help counteract the growing popularity of binge drinking in the country. France, which until recently prided itself on the slow-sipping of luxurious wines, has seen alcohol-related visits rise 30 percent in the last three years. So, it's no surprise that officials chose a new term with a much more ominous meaning — the "massive absorption of alcohol, generally in a group, aimed at provoking drunkenness in the minimum amount of time," to be exact. There's certainly no way to misinterpret that. (The Guardian)