Smiling in France

I'm currently touring Europe on a motorbike and in my time in France, I often smiled when I saw a 'car wash'. The signs proclaim "Self Lavage".

What about "prendre un douche"? Take a shower.

In France, there is an actual organization called "Acadamie Francaphonique" that is made up of cultural, political and academic supposed "leaders" that actually has the power to dictate what words are "proper" French and hoe it is taught in the schools.

What they say goes within France at least.

Outside that, it is considered more voluntary. Quebec schools mostly do follow it with some concession to colloquialisms. With those colloquialisms being influenced both by the sea of English that Quebec sits in, and by some things that can only be described as "Speaking Canadian" that's why the Canadian French gets a little strange.

The end result is to limit the actual number of words in the French language. This is WHY almost everything in French is a double or triple entente. it's also why, especially outside France itself, and even in France as you get closer to the Chunnel, you get all that English creeping in.

So you have to make certain concessions to that.

Also, English, for a long list of reasons is like the state pen, Easy to get into Damn hard to get out of.

In France, there is an actual organization called "Acadamie Francaphonique" that is made up of cultural, political and academic supposed "leaders" that actually has the power to dictate what words are "proper" French and hoe it is taught in the schools.

What they say goes within France at least.

Probably 'Académie Francophone' ... but whatever, I won't tattletale ... 😃

Anyway, organizations like that can try all they will, but aside from a few cultural diehards and those whose employment depends on any level of government paid salary (like teachers in public education or civil servants), most French go their own merry way when it comes to speaking amongst themselves or thinking up trendy names for businesses or whatnot.

Languages evolve because of all manner of reasons. Outside influences are often among the most important. If Germany had won WWII then French would now probably be speckled with all manner of Teutonic sounding Germanisms in every day speech. If the Russians had ever invaded during the Cold War and driven to the Channel it would then have been Slavisms (do they exist? if not, they should) coloring French everyday talk. But, the Anglo-Americans won and therefore English is now a dominant language exercising influence via its cultural exports and media presence around the world. It's only natural that English language influences will creep into other languages, even French.

There used to be a time, prior to the Great War and during the 19th century mainly, when French was a predominant cultural influence. Which is why English uses words like 'coup d'état', 'raison d'etre', 'tour de force' a (fashion) 'ensemble' and so on and why American Civil War era uniforms were copies of French military dress and Union armies were named in the French manner - after rivers (Army of the Potomac, Army of the James ...).

These kind of things don't happen in a vacuum and are also nigh well unstoppable.

All that said, I too often have to repress a snort of derision or a playful acknowledgement of appreciation when I drive through France and see how the language is being Anglicized in certain ways. Mostly it has to do with business and making money, or else culture, movies and the arts. And to be honest, you'll find more French eating at the local McDonalds than at a local bistro. That's the way of the world I guess ... and by the way, this happens in Belgium too, with English being the virtual (non-official) second language in Dutch speaking Belgium.

Agracier---thanks for your note.

hankb

When I took French in high school, I learned that the word "bidet" actually translated to "small horse", which actually makes sense, due to the position one takes on the device.

In France it has always been the «Académie Française» being responsible for the French language. For example in France it is not usual to speak of a computer, but this is the «ordinateur». Indeed the French are proud upon the language used in this country and you will be accepted exclusively in the case that you will be able to speak and to write French. In western Switzerland this is comparable.

the French are proud upon the language used in this country and you will be accepted exclusively in the case that you will be able to speak and to write French.

In western Switzerland this is comparable.

And as usual, everyone forgets Belgium. Actually, Belgians in France often play the role like Canadians vs Americans, being the somewhat backwards, but friendly neighbors to the north. Yes, they don't speak Parisian French or sound like they are from the Midi, but they do speak French with an accent ... ha ha ha.

Agracier: Actually, even the French government itself (as in: the president, the ministers, the elected officials) does not give much of a damn about the opinion of the Académie Française.

liquidsky: Prendre UNE douche.

1. Believe it's "double entendre" and not "double entente."

2. Charles DeGaulle said "America invented Belgium to annoy the French."

3. Rigid language? try German. Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German is their guide to grammar. Whenever a question arises, Luther is consullted and the way he did it is the way it's done.

2. Charles DeGaulle said "America invented Belgium to annoy the French."

Hmmm ... at that time in history - 1830 - the US did not have much diplomatic clout to do much of anything in the world, except maybe bully Native American Nations out of their land.

Belgium was, if anything, supported by Great Britain as a way of weakening the recently enlarged kingdom of the Netherlands, which in 1815 comprised the present day territory of both Belgium and the Netherlands. Economic rivalry and all that. France went along with the creation of Belgium as well, getting a buffer state between them and the Netherlands.

And to cap it off, Belgium was guaranteed by not only France and Great Britain, but also by Prussia, Austria-Hungary and Czarist Russia.

Note that new king of Belgium, Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, was a Rothschild man by financial backing, having fought in a minor way against Napoleonic France in his younger days. So he had the backing of the new anti-Bonapartist government in France too. In fact, when a Dutch army still held the fortress/harbor city of Antwerp, the French government sent an army to drive out the Dutch troops and back the newly independent country.

De Gaulle was normally a very astute statesman and knowledgeable about history.

Hmmm ... at that time in history - 1830 - the US did not have much diplomatic clout to do much of anything in the world, except maybe bully Native American Nations out of their land.

America did a damn good job of taking land from Spain, France, Russia and Mexico with the concept of Manifest Destiny, that the Mafia would have been proud to conceived. We did compensate France for the Louisianian purchase 15 million dollars for approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River and Russia 7.2 million for Alaska. To my knowledge Spain, Mexico and of course, our native Americans got nothing.

America did a damn good job of taking land from Spain, France, Russia and Mexico

1830 is before the American War with Mexico of 1848. When that conflict started the international 'betting pool' was on Mexico winning the war hands down, because of the US's small military and not very powerful showing on the international scene of Geo-politics.

In retrospect it has become clear that the US had the potential to exercise power on a large scale and hence indeed conquer or buy land on the North American continent. Remember also that Spanish, French and Russian land was bought, not taken from those countries. They were darn good buys, mainly because those countries could not properly develop their north American possessions, but there was little mafia like in the buying. Mainly good Yankee business deals, real steals, but still all proper. Even after the Mexican War, the US purchased more Mexican territory.

Mexico was another business of course, but unlike history is now taught in the US, a US victory at the time was not foreordained. Smart money would have bet against it.

Anyway, all the above is moot because it wasn't the US that were supposed to have invented Belgium to annoy the French, but Great Britain.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130326011336AAmnYwz

I'm currently touring Europe on a motorbike and in my time in France...".

Ce ne sont pas des fontaines d'eau dans les salles de bains.

For Pecan and Agracier:

I guess this is as good an opportunity as any to post this clever song from Bright Lights, Big City--an excellent, under-appreciated off-Broadway show.

"I Hate the French"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeQXdh43eE

and the reprise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Br00RxVAc

In the case that I shall spend time in France not one person will recognize that I am a German - I have recognized this several times in France and in the «Suisse romande» - for this is not only a problem in having mastered a certain language but further more this depends exclusively of the mentality - and in this respect the French or the «Romands» are very special ones.

In the case that I shall spend time in France not one person will recognize that I am a German.

Aujourd'hui, je suis en France. Aujourd'hui, je suis français.

Aujourd'hui, je suis en France. Aujourd'hui, je suis français.

One of the easiest countries to feel at home in. Josephine Baker, the gal from St Louis Missouri knew all about it ... 😃

One of the easiest countries to feel at home in.

I concur. My husband and I spent close to a year on the South Coast of France down close to the Spanish border. I love the food. I ate like a glutton and actually lost weight.

Vive la France!

Ricini said

In the case that I shall spend time in France not one person will recognize that I am a German - I have recognized this several times in France and in the «Suisse romande» - for this is not only a problem in having mastered a certain language but further more this depends exclusively of the mentality - and in this respect the French or the «Romands» are very special ones.

My French is lousy despite a few years of it in school.

Is your French as good as your English?

My French is lousy despite a few years of it in school.

Is your French as good as your English?

Just as English has dozens and dozens of different accents, often sounding quite different from each other, so too does French count dozens of differing accents if not dialects. Even if you do not sound 100% true French, people may suppose you are from a different country - Switzerland, Belgium, perhaps even Canada or maybe even some (north or equatorial) African country as descendants of former colonists for instance. Or perhaps they may just suppose you are from some rural or mountainous backwater in France itself where the people speak funny (like American hillbillies) ...

But it's doubtful they will ask where you're from or comment on it or even care that much, leaving you with the impression you've pulled it off ... 😃 😃

@agracier I hope that you were far away from the South Coast of France last night. The world is going crazy. One of these days, our leaders will wake up and realize that there is a radical element of Islam that has declared war on all non believers and some believers of their faith.

@agracier I hope that you were far away from the South Coast of France last night.

Well believe it or not, I left on vacation on Friday morning the 15th and on waking up before shutting off my PC, my son told me about the attack in Nice. But I had to leave on my trip anyway, everything planned. Drove all through France on the 15th, from the Belgian border to the Spanish border, and frankly, aside from a pro forma checkpoint coming in from Belgium, there really wasn't anything at all to indicate anything had happened in Nice. No police or gendarmes on the roads to speak of, not even any checks at the Spanish/French border for people entering France.

Had I not known anything before leaving, I would not have noticed anything, except the heavy traffic with families leaving on vacation ... seriously.

Not to make light of what happened and what will certainly happen again, but I know that politicians and more importantly other agencies tasked with internal security, know more than well enough what is happening and going on. There is no need to wake up anyone. They are doing their jobs. And believe me, French security is not bound by constitutional restraints.

The best thing to do is go about your life as normally as possible. Don't let anything get to you. That is the thing my mother always told me about the Occupation during WWII: a civilian's act of defiance is to go about life as normally as possible and not give in to what an enemy wishes. That is why most civilians ignored the Germans, no matter how they acted.

And even after the Liberation, the city where she lived was hit continuously every day by V bombs for 6 months on end. Some 3000 hits in all. Imagine 3000 attacks in 1 city in 6 months time. And yet people went on with their lives.

Don't let them get to you. The same applies here.

@ddell2: People are now wondering whether this act was related to Islam or, rather, to psychiatric and personal matters, like for the German pilot who crashed a plane in the Alps. Apparently the guy was a half-nutcase.

Let us keep our calm. There are a variety of reasons why a Zity member may not log in for a period of time. Vacations, for instance. Keep in mind that French workers tend to have 5 weeks off every year.

@Pecan_nutjob notes:

People are now wondering whether this act was related to Islam or, rather, to psychiatric and personal matters, like for the German pilot who crashed a plane in the Alps. Apparently the guy was a half-nutcase.

Often it's been found that the two are inextricably linked. .Peaceful co-existence & goodwill to all men & women of this earth is by far the better objective !!. .sadly so elusive

Wherever @anne4joy may be I hope she is safe n sound & that the French peoples recover to once again find tranquillity & happiness, free of threat