This week I
would like to share with you remarks about some of French anglicisms.
As we know,
French neologisms are verified quite attentively by linguistic prescriptivist
Académie française that recognize them officially or not. However, that is only
official side of the phenomenon. The other side is an everyday language. Some
words are just used and others not and there is no precise rule that might
determine it. Just look at some of anglicisms and their French equivalents:
un week-end - une
fin de la semaine
un dancefloor - une piste de danse
un e-mail - un courriel (éléctronique)
Those
equivalents were made up to replace English words but it now both forms are in
use! And it is not the case of those three ones. Interesting thing, “week-end” even
figures in well-known CNRTL dictionary.
Another
group of anglicisms are those concerning for example economy, that came into
French in one specialized meaning (definitions from wiktionnaire), for example:
un
establishment - (Anglicisme) Groupe social oligarchique
The next one concerns social networks, Internet portals and all sorts of sites about fashion, beauty etc. This is impressively big group of the most recent anglicisms, for example:
It is very
easy to find expressions such as:
les looks
que l’on aime – the looks we like
le look du
jour – the look of the day
looks des
stars – looks of stars
At the end
I want to share with you a song of Stromae, a French-language singer that you certainly
have heard of. The lyrics is about contemporary relationships between young
people, and especially love, so it is not by accident that the song is entitled
“Carmen”. The
first couplet is particularly worth reading because there are English words that
young French surely recognize, even if official dictionaries not...
[couplet 1]
L'amour
est comme l'oiseau de Twitter
On est bleu de lui, seulement pour 48h
D'abord on s'affilie, ensuite on se follow
On en devient fêlé, et on finit solo
On est bleu de lui, seulement pour 48h
D'abord on s'affilie, ensuite on se follow
On en devient fêlé, et on finit solo
Prends garde à toi
Et à tous ceux qui vous like
Les sourires en plastique sont souvent des coups d'hashtag
Prends garde à toi
Ah les amis, les potes ou les followers
Vous faites erreurs, vous avez juste la côte
Et à tous ceux qui vous like
Les sourires en plastique sont souvent des coups d'hashtag
Prends garde à toi
Ah les amis, les potes ou les followers
Vous faites erreurs, vous avez juste la côte
Translation:
Love is like Twitter
You’re in love with it only for 48 hours.
First you’re associated with it, and afterwards you follow
It becomes cracked and you end up alone.
Beware!
And beware of those who you like
Their plastic smiles are often hits by hashtag.
Beware!
Ah, friends, buddies, and followers
You’re making a mistake. It’s only a false popularity.
You’re in love with it only for 48 hours.
First you’re associated with it, and afterwards you follow
It becomes cracked and you end up alone.
Beware!
And beware of those who you like
Their plastic smiles are often hits by hashtag.
Beware!
Ah, friends, buddies, and followers
You’re making a mistake. It’s only a false popularity.
(lyricstranslate.com)
