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Les Mots Anglais (those crazy English words)

Unlike many languages, French has a "learned body on matters pertaining to the French language," (from Wikipedia) called the Académie française or the French Academy. In the 60s and 70s, they were very strong and definitely was not letting those foreign words creep into their language. No sir. Well, something has happened. Maybe they are all dead (and no one checked), but French is becoming rampant with English words. I always get a laugh when I hear a new one. 

One of the reasons French can be difficult is because one of the basic objectives of the language is to sound good. Unlike English and German, sounding good is all part of the show. There are things called liaisons that link the end of one word with the beginning of the next, to make it sound better. For instance, the word for "man" is homme (sounds like "home" without the h). Make it plural and it becomes les hommes (pronounced "layz 'ome"). The Z sound is there because it sounds better. In fact, it is always the objective of the language is slur it together and speak as quickly as you can. But clearly. There is definitely a flow to the language and an art to doing it well. 

So, with all this flow-ey sound, drop in an English word. It is like driving down a newly paved road and hitting a pot hole. For instance, think "shopping." Oh, yes, the word for going to the local clothes/shoe store and losing your paycheck is "shopping." Feel that word in your mouth. There is the sloppy "SH" sound, followed by the full stop of the P and finishing with the NG. Now dump that in a fluid French sentence. Je voudrais aller SHOP-PING ce soir. (What did you just run over?). Food shopping is still faire des cours, but the rest is SHOP-PING. (Hope you didn't spill your drink).

Ready for the WEEK-END? So are the French. In Canada, they still have the fin de la semaine, but here? WEEK-END.  Can't finish your meal? Ask the waiter for a DOG-GY-BAG. Really. Can you feel the bumps? One of my current favorites I found in the local quilting store. In the US quilting stores when we get a small bit of fabric, we sometimes get what is called a "fat quarter." Meaning it is a quarter yard, but instead of a long skinny piece, it is a half yard cut in half. So, when I found some fabric I wanted here, they just went about cutting it. I, of course, thought I might be getting a new amount, based on centimeters, No, I got (and please use your best Pepi le Pew accent for this), a FAT-QUAR-TERRE. And in fact, it is measured in yards here, don't ask me why.

Some other weird things I have come across:

  • Walkie talkie. First, have you stopped to analyze that word? It is pretty silly. Talking and walking put together. If this technology were new today, it would have some acronym. Here? it is a Talkie-Walkie. This of course makes sense, because the modifier goes after the noun. But seriously. 
  • I passed a "Toys R Us" going to the airport. Talk about a name that doesn't translate. It is here though. Name unchanged. I wonder how the French pronounce that. I wonder if they have ever come across its very very cheap cousin, "Wee Bee Toys" and had that explained to them.
  • Chopsticks are "baguettes", like the bread. It was odd the first time someone asked for it in a Thai resto. I thought he was asking for bread.

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