author

Jules Fabien Gingras

1826–1884

A 19th-century French-Canadian writer and language reformer, he is best remembered for practical guides that pushed back against anglicisms in Canadian French. His work captures an early, passionate effort to protect everyday French in Quebec and beyond.

1 Audiobook

Recueil des expressions vicieuses et des anglicismes les plus fréquents

Recueil des expressions vicieuses et des anglicismes les plus fréquents

by Jules Fabien Gingras

About the author

Born in Quebec City on December 13, 1826, Jules-Fabien Gingras built his career around words. He worked first as a typographer in Quebec and later moved to Ottawa, where he served as a translator in Parliament. He died in Ottawa on February 6, 1884.

Gingras is chiefly known for writing usage guides such as Recueil des expressions vicieuses et des anglicismes les plus fréquents and Manuel des expressions vicieuses les plus fréquentes. These books reflect a wider 19th-century concern among French-Canadian writers and scholars about the future of French in North America.

What makes his work still interesting is its clear sense of mission: he wanted to help readers notice borrowed English forms and choose what he saw as better French alternatives. Even today, his books offer a window into the history of Canadian French and the long debate over language, identity, and everyday speech.