Have you ever thrown a camel? Camels are large and heavy animals, so it would be hard to throw. But in the French-speaking Democratic Republic of the Congo, “to throw a camel” is a way of saying “to make a spelling mistake”.

In the past, a phrase like that was not accepted by the French government as an official French term. But recently, the French Ministry of Culture worked on a new kind of dictionary that accepts the idea that many people outside of France speak the language. The language has changed over time and is different in places like Ivory Coast in West Africa or Quebec in Cana-da, compared to how it is in Paris

A new online dictionary, called the French speakers’ dictionary, includes new French words from around the world. It was released on March 18—just in time for International French Speaker’s Day on March 20.

Supporters say the new Internet dictionary is more democratic than earlier French dictionaries that only showed the way highly educated French people spoke. The new dictionary includes unofficial words like “pourriel”, which means an unwanted email if you are in Canada. It is a word based on “courriel”, which just means an email.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea of the dictionary in 2018. It now contains about 600.000 terms, Roselyne Bachelot is the French Culture Minister. She said the dictionary is not just for France's 67 million citizens, but for the 300 million French speakers worldwide.

The aim, supporters say, is to recognize the way language changes. Words and expressions included in the dictionary come from over 50 countries—even from the United States Some people in the southern U. S. state of Louisiana speak French.

People can see the dictionary on a website or with an app. Users can also send in new words they think should be included. Official dictionaries produced by the French Academy in Paris were first published hundreds of years ago and are regularly updated.

【小题1】What do we mean if we say a man “throws a camel” in French?

A．He talks big.	B．He is very strong.
C．He makes a joke.	D．He misspells a word.

【小题2】What is the purpose of the publication date of the new online dictionary?

A．To celebrate an event.	B．To honor foreign users.
C．To draw more attention.	D．To meet an urgent need.

【小题3】Where does the word “pourriel” come from?

A．French.

B．An email.

C．A holiday.

D．Canada.

【小题4】What can people do with the new dictionary?

A．Update it regularly.	B．Recommend new words to it.
C．Change the meaning of its words.	D．Regard it as an official dictionary.