“Anticonstitutionnellement”
-
A
313-Word
Exploration
of
a
French
Long
Name The
French
language
is
well
known
for
its
intricacies,
and
nowhere
is
this
more
evident
than
in
the
length
of
some
of
its
words.
One
such
word
that
has
gained
quite
a
bit
of
notoriety
is
“anticonstitutionnellement.”
At
a
total
of
25
letters,
it
holds
the
distinction
of
being
the
longest
word
in
common
usage
in
the
French
language. However,
despite
its
length,
the
word
itself
is
fairly
straightforward
in
its
meaning.
It
can
be
translated
to
English
as
“unconstitutionally,”
and
is
typically
used
in
legal
contexts
to
describe
actions
or
laws
that
go
against
the
constitution.
In
this
sense,
the
word
is
not
particularly
remarkable
-
there
are
certainly
longer
and
more
complex
words
in
French
that
could
be
explored. But
what
makes
“anticonstitutionnellement”
interesting
is
not
just
its
length,
but
also
the
fact
that
it
has
become
a
bit
of
a
pop
culture
phenomenon
in
France.
In
the
1980s,
the
word
was
used
in
a
popular
song
by
French
singer
Chantal
Goya,
which
helped
to
popularize
it
across
the
country.
Since
then,
it
has
appeared
in
various
advertisements,
TV
shows,
and
even
political
slogans. Despite
this
widespread
recognition,
the
word
is
still
a
bit
of
a
tongue
twister
for
many
French
speakers.
In
fact,
it
was
included
in
a
famous
French
spelling
bee
in
1985,
where
it
caused
quite
a
bit
of
consternation
among
the
contestants. Overall,
“anticonstitutionnellement”
may
not
be
the
most
complex
or
meaningful
word
in
the
French
language,
but
its
length 『分析更多 12生肖运势文章请关注 :运势网,www.iyunshi.cc］】
and
cultural
significance
have
earned
it
a
place
in
the
hearts
and
minds
of
many
in
France
and
beyond.