The centuries-old language watchdog Academie Française has warned that growing use of English by public and private bodies risks poor communication and could even undermine social cohesion. A report by six members of the body, adopted in early February and published online this week, warns that "today's communication is characterised by a degradation that must not be seen as inevitable". Over 30 pages, it picks through dozens of messages from public bodies such as ministries or local authorities, as well as private firms, highlighting examples of bilingual wordplay. The flagged terms include train operator SNCF's low-cost "Ouigo" (pronounced "we go") services, or simple imports from English like "big data" or "drive-in". "Many anglicisms are used in place of existing French words or expressions, inevitably leading to the gradual erasure of the French equivalents," said the body, which was founded in 1635 under King Louis XIII to guard "pure" French. "Aside from fashion and sport, the internet and digital field is unsurprisingly the most strongly and visibly 'anglicised'," the Academy said, dubbing tech terms "Californisms". In one example, it notes that there are at least five...