Back Bay Français

French words now reflect changes in its society. When I started spending time there, rules were strict. Words used were those found in dictionaries. As time went on, usage seemed to relax. I don’t even know when it happened. Before 2000, I think. Was it a result of the socialist régime that came in in 1981 with, notably, Jack Lang?
In any case, I see several particular categories of new words and will give some samples of each below: the effect of other cultures, mostly Arabic and English; a counter-culture slang that inverts syllables, called ‘verlan;’ and new words that came from the fields of computers, ecology, medicine and sports.

Here are a few samples of each.

Arabic:
kiffer = aimer
chtarber, chtarbé =(devenir) fou
la smala = la famille, la tribu

English:
glamour (adj.!!!) – glamourous
le buzz = rumors
relooker, un relookage = (to do) a makeover

verlan:
le verlan < inverstion of the two syllables of “l’envers,” meaning “inversion.”
chébran < “branché,” which means ‘in’ or ‘cool.’
meuf < femme (with its final silent ‘e’ pronounced as a syllable: /famoe/ > /moef/

computers:
email (pronounced the same as in English or only the “mail” part)
cliquable – clickable
tchatcher or tchater –  to chat electronically
followers – same as in English but only with respect to electronic sites
un internaute – net surfer

ecology:
l’altermonidalisation = globalization
l’écotourisme – tourism based on principles of ecology
durable – sustainable
renouvelable – renewable, non-renouvelable – non-renewable
l’énergie éolienne = wind power
le rechauffement global/de la planète/planétaire – global warming

medicine:
le SIDA = AIDS
l’IRM = l’Imagerie à Résonance Magnétique
les toxicos < les toxomanes – drug addicts
la grippe aviaire = bird flu
l’IVG = abortion

sports:
le tapis roulant = treadmill
le parapente = paragliding
le jogging ~le footing (the latter is slower than the former)
les baskets = running shoes
le lapining – a new sport where athletes run down mountains, avoiding obstacles /lapeening/

new social openness:
paxé (adj) – civilly married according to le Pacte civil de solidarité, le Pacs (pronounced Pax)
l’homoparentalité – a single-parent household
le télétravail – commuter job
le parachutisme = skydiving

I wonder where these come from:
déjanter = fou, to be off one’s rocker
nase = fou, out of it
cartonner – réussir à merveille, le carton – le grand succès < hitting the bullseye, a target
nickel = propre
scotcher = fasciner
people, sometimes spelled pipole (adj.!!!) – La presse people = celebrity magazines
C’est béton – It’s a hit
zoner = glander – to hang out
un bobo < (the first syllables of the two words) un bohémien bourgeous
délocalisation = outsourcing (Bernard ajoute que: “Outsourcing reste difficile à traduire. Les Français emploient souvent le mot anglais, parfois délocalisation, parfois externalisation, parfois sous-traitance (à l’étranger).”)

le Slam, le slammeur/la slammeuse < slam poet