Even though there are reportedly only about one-fifth as many French words as English words ... it turns out to be a lot of work to learn French. Or maybe it's just a lot of work if you start in your 40's with no previous training. But we are making progress (despite what Lolly says on Facebook). I can often get through a restaurant experience with full sentences now - as opposed to blurting out single word grunts while jabbing my index finger at a picture on the menu like BoBo the talking Gorilla.
I guess it helps that I find the whole language thing interesting. Here's a little factoid I picked up this morning while reading "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong." Back in the 50's, IBM invented a word that has now become an official French word. That's a big deal because this sort of thing (official Frenchness) has been tightly managed by the Académie Française since the 1600's. It's the French word for computer: ordinateur. Evidently, there was some necessity to invent such a word because the first two syllables of the English one bear very unfortunate similarities to "con" and "pute." In French, these are deeply offensive words used in reference to women. So there you go ... IBM: defender of Les Femmes and La République!
7 comments:
Has Apple shown the same cultural consideration? I'm just wondering what nasty things iPod and iPhone might sound like in French...
I always liked pomme frites better than french fries.
What do they call French kissing in France?
Hmmm ... let's see. No, Apple appears to have made no attempt whatsover to Frenchify themselves. Their products are everywhere but it's as if I walked into the Apple Store in Palo Alto. 100% guaran-damn-tee it American! Except for the "assembled in China" part.
Frites are huge in Paris! Huge I tell you! But then, so is McDonalds. Hey it's one more market for the heavily subsidized French farmer (said the pot to the kettle).
There is no direct translation of "French kissing." Unless you just want to say "shaking hands." You see, over here it's just your average greeting. Hell, I get Frenched 5 or 6 times on the Metro before I transfer.
Hey, if I was gonna get frenched five or six times on the Metro on my way to work, I'd want to be heavily subsidized too.
I'm just saying.
You Frenchies are, like, total freaks, man.
I dunno about that "You Frenchies" part. I mean the guy who dreamed up ordinateur might have sat at your desk, with your title, and your lovely house, and your parking spot and ... you get the picture.
"This is not my beautiful house...this is not my beautiful wife..."
I understand David Bryne always had an affinity for the French.
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