Abstract
The fact that lexicographers now have access to a digital territory in which to share their work provides an opportunity to examine the nature of the discourse on language usage, once we move away from the study of the dictionary. The Dire, Ne pas dire section of the Académie française’s digital dictionary is an ideal place to look, given the Académie française’s role as guardian of the language. The question that arises here is: how has the Académie française used digital technology to extend its mission, which now transcends just language production and its norms, and how does this section contribute to this? What does this section say about usage and the way it is used? Admittedly, the Académie is the expert speaker, the guardian of correct usage, in an expected role. But the normative discourse is giving way to another type of discourse, one that is more preventive, heralding a paradigm shift that takes into account not only the language and its uses, but also the user.