English Words In French

Emprunts de luxe ou emprunts de ‘nécessité’ ?

This month’s blog focusses on Anglo-Saxon borrowings in the French language, somewhat an apologia of the latter, but equally an appreciation that language evolves, especially lexically. I am, perhaps, an ersatz for the Immortels [named as such from the motto «À l’immortalité», and inscribed on the seal given to the Academy by Cardinal Richelieu], who convene each Thursday in the Institut de France as the Académie française [1634]:

«La mission qui lui est assignée à l’origine, et qui sera précisée par lettres patentes de Louis XIII le 29 janvier 1635, est de travailler à « donner des règles certaines à notre langue et à la rendre pure, éloquente et capable de traiter les arts et les sciences ». 

• Let me offer ten eclectic examples to get ‘our’ debate en route …

• Le smoking (different meaning to English)

• Le boulingrin (assimilated orthographically)

• Le 5 o’clock (I guess due to the hour difference!)

• Le foot (not anatomical)

• Le come-back du has-been (L’Équipe newspaper headline)

• Le pipeline (French accent is de rigueur)

• Dribbler (French verbal infinitive form) * see later

• Le tennis (borrowed from French, then reloaned to the French language)

• Le jean (in the land from where denim originates!)

• Le week-end (the hyphen distinguishes this from English!)

French contains many linguistic borrowings from other languages, but have they influenced or made more of an impact than English (or American English – eg le garden-center [US spelling retained, despite the re suffix in many French words]) in technology, sport, music, media, or business?

The title question suggests that there are some borrowings that could be acceptable (whatever that means), yet others that are superfluous (perhaps nugatory), or rather just for une question de mœurs!

I will offer an example of each type of borrowing:

• Luxury

→ le corner (in football)

→ why not le coin/le coup de coin ?

• ‘Necessary’

→ dribbler (in football)

→ faire passer le ballon à petits coups de pieds pour éviter un joueur dans l’équipe adversaire … … is a mouthful and a right headache for both radio commentator and listener

Why not the following French alternatives? The answer is probably at the end of the previous paragraph, or maybe le principe du moindre effort.

• Week-end →    Fin de semaine 

• Marketing →    Mercatique  

• Jogging →    La course  

• Camping →    Campisme  

• Networking →    Réseautage  

• Business →    Entreprise  

• Digital →  Numérique  

• Smartphone →    Téléphone intelligent  

• Leader →     Dirigeant  

• Manager →   Gérant  

• Brainstorming →   Remue-méninges  

• Email →   Courriel 

Before concluding, I cannot help but quote an erstwhile and enthusiastic 14-year-old pupil who, despite my “stop writing” comment in class a few years back, still insisted on shouting out “But Sir, I am just looking up the French word for restaurant”!

Whether ‘necessitous’ or luxury, French is evolving (pour le mieux ou pour le pire, or should I state pour le better ou pour le worst !). Peut-être que c’est too much, mais c’est cool et un peu borderline.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here are further examples:

• le pull - pullover, sweater, jersey

• le shampooing - the shampoo

• le scoop - context of a news story (the Académie française recommends a French “exclusivité”)

• le selfie - included in French dictionary Le Petit Robert in 2015, along with “hashtag”

• le sandwich

• le bulldozer

• l’email / le mail

• cool - great, cool, [expression of approval]

• le dressing - dressing rroom

• fun: amusing, entertaining

• le hashtag

• le blog

• le chewing-gum

• le lifting - facelift, plastic surgery.

• le parking - car park

• le pressing – dry-cleaners

• people [c’est très people] - (“it’s very popular”/about personalities)

• Pseudo-anglicisms

• le zapping - channel surfing on a television

• le rugbyman, le tennisman - rugby and tennis player

• les baskets – trainers/sports shoes

• le babyfoot - table football

• le flipper - pinball machine

• le footing - running or jogging

• la redingote - type of coat (from the English, riding coat)

I’m just off for le happy hour … je frappe la route!

Fun bite (Amuse-bouche!)

Quel est le mot le plus difficile à prononcer en français pour un anglophone ?

• La chirurgie ?

• Je préférerai(s) ?

• Nous insérerons/insérerions ?

• Un écureuil ?

• La bouilloire ?

• Le réfrigérateur? … (facile) → le frigo!

Mais celui qui se trouve en tête du classement Prononciation difficile est …

• Une serrurerie … surtout à la campagne …

• Une serrurerie rurale !