tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post2671972750227843674..comments2024-03-28T05:24:43.762+01:00Comments on Living the life in Saint-Aignan: Parlez-vous franglish ? Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-47700977590158622882016-03-17T12:18:04.185+01:002016-03-17T12:18:04.185+01:00It's always good to try saying an English word...It's always good to try saying an English word, especially one that seems like it might have come from Latin (thru French), with a French accent to see if that turns out to be something comprehensible to the French ear. It often works.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-23119255243388933452016-03-17T12:16:11.491+01:002016-03-17T12:16:11.491+01:00It's not the faux amis between UK and US usage...It's not the faux amis between UK and US usage that are mysterious, it's all the regional dialect, terms, and expressions used in the UK. The US has regionalisms too, but not on the same scale. The UK ones are opaque in meaning. You can't figure them out; you have to be told what they mean. Is UK English becoming a loose grouping of dialects without much centralizing influence. Neighbors of mine who come from Yorkshire tell me they can have trouble communicating with Londoners.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-64023693282448051822016-03-17T12:11:57.620+01:002016-03-17T12:11:57.620+01:00I remember hearing about Etiemble's lecture at...I remember hearing about Etiemble's lecture at the U of I — I arrived there in September 1971, after the fact. Oui, la pauvre Académie. People in other countries might get the idea that the Académie Française exercises some real control over the French language, but in fact it is just one of the forces at play in the language's evolution. The media and popular usage are probably more important players nowadays.<br /><br />I remember once that a translator colleague asked me where the English language academy met and how it worked. When I told him there wasn't one (he probably knew that, but was teasing me), he asked, well how do you know what's correct and incorrect in English? What new words are acceptable? What is grammatical? Somehow, we just know, don't we?Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-30729193608324177452016-03-17T00:10:12.224+01:002016-03-17T00:10:12.224+01:00American English and UK English have a complete ra...American English and UK English have a complete range of "faux amis"... To the American speaker a fender is a car bumper...to us it is what you put in front of the fire... A hood is the bonnet...to us it is the soft-top of a convertible...and now there is Hinglish to contend with...<br />As for French... I like "le crumble".... And rhubarb season is beginning!!Le Pré de la Forgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02396822372095610004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-63465228891378942392016-03-17T00:04:24.439+01:002016-03-17T00:04:24.439+01:00Wow, did this posting bring back memories. That S...Wow, did this posting bring back memories. That Sorbonne professor, Rene Etiemble, gave a lecture at the University of Illinois in 1970 following the publication of his book, Parlez-vous franglais, and he drew a huge crowd. As a timid undergrad, I remember summoning the courage to ask him (in French) what he thought of the French Academy's effort at the time to purify the French language. His response: "Ah, la pauvre Academie!"Bob Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691894542904701565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-16114155395036872662016-03-16T16:24:20.602+01:002016-03-16T16:24:20.602+01:00If we tried to have an English week, the prior que...If we tried to have an English week, the prior question would be - which English? British English is peppered with local idioms and vocabulary, not to mention loan words from other languages. You'd have to have more than a certain je ne sais quoi, not to mention Sitzfleisch to work through it all and the bravura to face down all the criticisms; in fact it would take more than the whole week even to get started.........Autolycushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17642868944400656922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-19593394870002892712016-03-16T15:32:17.281+01:002016-03-16T15:32:17.281+01:00My french is not very good, but I usually get by b...My french is not very good, but I usually get by because our languages share so many words in common and I try to think of those in conversation. I read many novels that are full of French, such as Louise Penny- I love books peppered with foreign phrases. Evelynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17824964122794535252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-46860164286089798872016-03-16T13:45:19.639+01:002016-03-16T13:45:19.639+01:00And one of the most important French terms is ... ...And one of the most important French terms is ... le week-end.Bob Rossihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08349830722788278723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-8064969687091593742016-03-16T13:06:46.683+01:002016-03-16T13:06:46.683+01:00Living in Buenos Aires, we immediately got a tutor...Living in Buenos Aires, we immediately got a tutor and began to learn at least basic Castellano. I was a semi failure, I can speak Spanish , badly, but the teacher annoyed me. Apparently , when I grow up, I won't let things like that bother me. So my Castellano was pretty bad but because it was Buenos Aires, the (so so lovely) people would get excited when I would speak to them and try out their English, that they were so proud to be able to speak. They shamed me with their enthusiasm.<br />Now , of course, here I am, back in the US .. and I remember all my Castellano and there is no one to talk to :)Notes From ABroadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12202279303962539035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-41423120898220123792016-03-16T11:59:56.753+01:002016-03-16T11:59:56.753+01:00Yes, that is a fun list. I especially liked "...Yes, that is a fun list. I especially liked "un has-been." Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335063080532127542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-24041311397545545962016-03-16T11:56:27.140+01:002016-03-16T11:56:27.140+01:00Ahhhh, that's a fun list :)Ahhhh, that's a fun list :)Seine Judeet (Judith)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07407353544376132484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-79776929721427385302016-03-16T11:42:10.649+01:002016-03-16T11:42:10.649+01:00The man of the couple I stayed with in Tours, a ba...The man of the couple I stayed with in Tours, a banker, was in quite a pickle because he did not speak english. He was worried that he would lose his job, or be transferred to another county where english is not as common. He was not looking forward to that prospect. And I am certain his wife - a Parisian - was not looking forward to that either.<br /><br />The first time I went to France in the early 80's, only the children spoke, or were willing to speak, english. And my french was minimal at best. C in Californiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11797701714608179842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-40059803951191591152016-03-16T09:27:58.623+01:002016-03-16T09:27:58.623+01:00Saying 'Yes!' emphatically is currently ve...Saying 'Yes!' emphatically is currently very trendy, as is 'bye bye'. Most people say 'bizness' because there kind of isn't a good equivalent in French when one is specifically refering to commercial activities. Eavesdropping in cafes and restaurants reveals just how much English French people under 40 pepper their conversation with.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com