I swore I would never be one of those native English speakers who, when away from her country for too long, would forget how to speak her own language. Yet, just over a year after moving to Paris, that very thing has happened to me!
Anglicisme refers to translating something in English literally into French. An example would be taking the expression “putting my ducks in a row” and saying “mettre mes canards en ligne.” It doesn’t make any sense since the expression simply doesn’t exist here. I often literally translate things because it’s what seems logical, but that doesn’t always make it correct.
Franglais is when people mix their English and French together or say a word in English as if it were French. It can often sound pretentious. I try not to do this at all costs, but what I do find happening to me is that I am getting so used to using a French word for something that I forget how to refer to it in English. I’ve noticed this happens the most frequently when the French word actually sounds like an English word. An example is the word “commerce” meaning just that. But in English, you wouldn’t say, “I love the neighborhood because the commerce is great.” You would say, it has great stores or amenities. The worst one I get blocked by is “bio,” which here means organic. I literally have to stop and think every time when trying to come up with the English word including just now as I write this!
I think I have already discussed the differences in expressions between the languages. For example, the straw that broke the camel’s back here becomes the drop of water that knocks over the glass. I admit it took me a long time to understand how a straw could break a camel’s back until I realized there were already thousands of straws on his back to begin with. The drop of water though is much clearer to me.
Here, “avoir le casserole” or to have the casserole is what we refer to as having baggage or even skeletons in the closet. Leave it to the French to use a food or beverage reference wherever possible.
Some words sound similar to their English counterparts. “Calandrier” means calendar. “Agenda” is the same word. Diary however is “intime” and “journal” is newspaper where paper is “papier.” Of course there are plenty of French expressions we use in English like “RSVP,” “rendez vous” or “hors d’oeuvres.” Similarly the French will use weekend or chewing gum, unless you’re French Canadian and then it’s always “fin de semaine” or “pate a mache.”
Sometimes the French translation of something will seem lengthier than it should be. An example is the MacDonald’s slogan, “I’m lovin’ it,” which becomes “C’est tout ce que j’aime,” which is more like “It’s all that I love.” I would have simply translated it into “Je l’aime.” There are other translations that make perfect sense like “mange tout” for pea pod because it means “eat everything,” which is exactly what you do with a pea pod. I wonder if they use the same word for soft shell crab.
“Une litote” is a very common way of speaking in French. It refers to using the negative when describing something. For example, if you think something is pretty, you could say “ca n’est pas laide,” or it’s not ugly. If you think something is a good idea, “ca n’est pas bete,” or that’s not a bad idea or literally that’s not stupid. I suppose it comes from a humility that the French pride themselves on. I once wondered why after complimenting someone they didn’t say thank you and they explained that to say thanks is to acknowledge the compliment, which comes across as being arrogant as if they are agreeing with it. Ca n’est pas bete, but perhaps a little extreme and one thing I haven’t forgotten to say in English is thank you. So thank you to all who are still reading my blog and to anyone new who has taken a peek. Knowing you’re there is what makes me try my best to inform and entertain. More to come as always…
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