Words

[User169]

No, not true at all. I think there is still a big misunderstanding about what it does. There are words aplenty that the AF doesn't endorse in every single French dictionary. (like "lunch" and "brunch" for instance!)

Lots of languages, like German and Dutch, have central authorities, which look after spelling and make recommendations, but they don't rule by diktat and if their changes are ignored, they tend to disappear.

How are we supposed to spell pancake this week?

Don't know if it's really true, but I've been told that the Belgians are more resistant to adopting English words than the Dutch and come up with their own Flemish versions. There's a good cycling one - "botsmuts" for bike helmet.

 

[swee'pea99]

How are we supposed to spell pancake this week?

Don't know if it's really true, but I've been told that the Belgians are more resistant to adopting English words than the Dutch and come up with their own Flemish versions. There's a good cycling one - "botsmuts" for bike helmet.

...and a non-cycling Dutch one: plimpplamppletteren - the act of skimming stones across water.

 

[yello]

The Academie is, admittedly, doing a Canute in trying to protect their mother tongue from le weekend and le download, but they try, and words don't get in the dictionary unless approved by the committee

That's true in committee. What happens on the streets and in the countryside is something else. I'd be very surprised if native French speakers don't bend their language, borrow words from other languages, get creative etc. In fact, I know they do.

I heard someone say 'farpaitement' (a spoonerish rework of parfaitement). I eventually recognised the change (context resolved for me) but I was momentarily stumped. There was a 'one woman show' (note it's exactly that, borrowed from English) touring and on TV called 'Mother farker'. I'm not quite sure what that means to a native French speaker so whilst the words are borrowed, I'm not sure that the entire sense is retained! 'Ordinateur' (computer) commonly gets shortened to 'ordi' (the French are buggers for abbreviating words, does my head in!) So I'd anticipate that someone could make a reflexive from a verb, though whether it'd be understood or not is perhaps another matter! Perhaps I'll give it a go!

 

[yello]

...and a non-cycling Dutch one: plimpplamppletteren - the act of skimming stones across water.

I like that. Very onomatopoeic.

 

[User169]

...and a non-cycling Dutch one: plimpplamppletteren - the act of skimming stones across water.

Great word, although neither of the two colleagues I've tried it out on had heard of it! One couldn't think of a word/phrase for it and the other came up with "stone shaving".

 

[mr_hippo]

It has already been mentioned on this thread about using nouns as verbs, I think the example used was 'leisuring' and that is one of my pet hates!
Years ago the BBc had a pronunciation department to ensure foreign names were pronounced correctly. The Thai PMs surname is Shinawatra when written but loses the final 'ra' when spoken; if you are in Thailand and you fancy a beer do not ask for Singha beer - it is just Sing. Two popular tourists destinations are Phuket and Krabi - the first is Poo Ket and not Fuk It and the second looks as if it should be said as crabby when the correct way is grabby.
I heard a tale years ago about the pronunciation department and the news reader Angela Rippon and it sounds plausible. She had read that there was a new Kenyan Junior Finance Minister with a large unpronouncable name. The department contacted the Kenyan Embassy to get the right pronunciation and Angela practised it every day. Months went by and no news story about the junior minister emerged until one day the editor told Angela that the junior minister was in the news. Now she can put all of those months of practoce into good use!
"We have just heard that the Kenyan Junior Finance Minister, Mr Julius Mbhsaioensdhnci;ekweo, has been likked in a car crash.

 

[swee'pea99]

I know no Dutch...I came across the word in The Meaning of Tingo - Tingo apparently being 'an expression from Easter Island, meaning 'to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by asking to borrow them'.

 

[swee'pea99]

Months went by and no news story about the junior minister emerged until one day the editor told Angela that the junior minister was in the news. Now she can put all of those months of practoce into good use!
"We have just heard that the Kenyan Junior Finance Minister, Mr Julius Mbhsaioensdhnci;ekweo, has been likked in a car crash.

And then again there was the Rev vicar, nervous at the prospect of announcing Diana Dors by her real name of Diana Fluck when she returned to her hometown to open the village fete. Cometh the day...."...and it is my great pleasure to welcome our very own local hero, who has very kindly come home to open today's proceedings - Miss Diana Clunt."

 

[yello]

'Tingo' - what an elaborate and complex meaning for such a cute little word!

Interesting blog too, thanks for the link swee'pea... one for me to while away a few hours on!

I love this

In Afrikaans frogs go kwaak-kwaak : in Estonian: krooks-krooks ; in the Munduruku tribe of Brazil: korekorekore and in Argentinian Spanish: berp!

Animal noises in language is an amusing one. A Spanish friend was in fits of laughter over the noise of a rooster in English!

And then again there was the Rev vicar, nervous at the prospect of announcing Diana Dors by her real name of Diana Fluck

My father told me that story, it has a ring of urban myth about it but I've never researched it!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I know no Dutch...I came across the word in The Meaning of Tingo - Tingo apparently being 'an expression from Easter Island, meaning 'to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by asking to borrow them'.

As in ''Where dat fecking tingo?''