Adopting French words.........

[mint]

It's occurred to me recently that I am using French words to my OH because I either can no longer think of the English equivalent or am too lazy to try.

I don't mean speaking French to the natives; I have been doing that from Day 1 as I came househunting very well prepared!  Did courses, had lessons, etc.

What I mean is when you are speaking in English and you drop in the odd French word because the English one is either too long, elusive, difficult to pronounce or whatever.

For example, I might say to the OH, "Could you please give me a hand with the bâche to cover the logs as I think it is going to rain?" or "Where the devil are my lunettes?"

Strange, I know, but even the OH (who struggles with French) now uses "bâche" instead of "tarpaulin".  What's happening here?

Can anyone think of similar things they say especially odd French words they use in the middle of English sentences?  Can French members of the forum think of English words they use instead of French when they are speaking their native language (and I DON'T mean le weekend or l'internet!)

O la, la! C'est tres drôle, n'est pas?

[Anton Redman]

Tend to use 'pub' = advertising leaflets and decheterie rather than 'dump' 

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Good question!

I know I do it. Fosse. Fait the pont. Many others.

It could be because:

1. Native speakers of English are very adept at picking up and adopting odd foreign words. We cheerfully took on "pukka", "kosher", "char" for example, and we absorb Americanisms without batting an eyelid, so why not the odd French word?

2. We learned French as adults so we only have one true language centre in our brains and sometimes words just get over written. I notice that my children - who are true bilinguals and so, I believe, have two language centres - don't seem to do this.

3. I am an affected ponce who wants to show off.

On balance...I think it's "1". But it could be "2", but not "3". Or it could be "3" and I'm too much of an affected ponce to notice. Is there someone more intelligent who could answer the question?

[powerdesal]

I favour "1". Our daily conversations include words in arabic, hindi, urdu, french, german, welsh and of course english, with the very odd russian word. There are the odd swahili words also.

[Graham & Brenda]

We both find ourselves doing it a lot. I think it is because  having used words all the time in French conversation whether with friends or in shops it is at the front of your mind and you have to think to translate it back into English. The trouble is, in English company it can seem poseur if it takes a few seconds to recall the English word! An example is going to the déchetterie but there are many others. Hopefully it just means we are learning more French.

[Patf]

Anyway, dechetterie is a much nicer word than rubbish tip. French is a musical language.

[mint]

Rubbish site, even so, is preferable to "civic amenity site" which is what ours was called back in the UK.  Not only that, you could queue for up to half an hour to dump your stuff whereas here our dechetterie has a wonderful young man in charge of it and he always comes to help you and to make sure you are sorting your rubbish into all the right bins.

[Clair]

Mr Clair has taken to using French words when speaking English, but pronounces them in an English way... if you see what I mean...[8-)]

This leaves me completely unable to understand anything he says, even in English![blink]

[Gardian]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

For example, I might say to the OH, "Could you please give me a hand with the bâche to cover the logs as I think it is going to rain?" or "Where the devil are my lunettes?"[/quote]

SW17 .............

So true!  As per RRE's 1-3, I'd like to think it's option 1.

[Jacqui Too]

Don't know what came over me this evening  [:-))]

Whilst out for a meal with OH I actually said 'merci' to the waiter.

Only problem was we were in a Indian Tandoori restaurant  and we have been home now for five weeks!!!!

After this little mishap I did own up to also driving on the right hand side of the road after leaving my friends the other day, but it was a single track lane and it was only for about 100 yards before I noticed [:$] [:-))]

Jackie

[sid]

Yes, it's "bizarre"! [:D]

Sid

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Clair"]Mr Clair has taken to using French words when speaking English, but pronounces them in an English way... if you see what I mean...[8-)]
This leaves me completely unable to understand anything he says, even in English![blink]
[/quote]I have a friend who does this. "Shemmin" is a word she uses on a regular basis.  Can you figure it out, Clair (took me ages to realise what she was talking about)?

[caramac]

Chemin?

Or something to do with Bob Marley?   (Hope you like Shemmin too.....)[:)]

[Cat]

[quote user="Clair"]Mr Clair has taken to using French words when speaking English, but pronounces them in an English way... if you see what I mean...[8-)]
This leaves me completely unable to understand anything he says, even in English![blink]
[/quote]

Ha! Mr Cat does the same, but the other way round.  He likes to pepper his French conversation with English words, pronounced in the French way.  Brosser mes toofs, for example [8-)]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="caramac"]Chemin?

Or something to do with Bob Marley?   (Hope you like Shemmin too.....)[:)]
[/quote]Blimey - you were a lot quicker than I was - and I had the context![B]

[mint]

Sid

I also tend to say "bizarre" much more than I ever used to do.

Cat

"brosser mes toofs" has got to be the ultimate, seeing that there are no "toofs" in English either!

I also remember saying "c'est OK" to someone when I first visited France.  He laughed and I knew he wasn't laughing at the "OK" but the liaison between the 2 words!

[Deby]

My daughter 6 at the time used to say 'mummy am I mangeing at the canteen today' the mangeing still stays with us as a family expression.

Deby

[KathyF]

Even though we are only in France for a few months a year, we find ourselves using French words in conversation at times, especially when we're there. Things like dechetterie and mairie of course, but also referring to our depot-vente-bought furniture by their French names of armoire and buffet and using French names for particular foods. I can imagine doing much more of that if we were there full-time and speaking French all the time.

[Clair]

[quote user="sweet 17"]I also remember saying "c'est OK" to someone when I first visited France.  He laughed and I knew he wasn't laughing at the "OK" but the liaison between the 2 words![/quote]

But did he explain why?

C'est (t)ok sounds like c'est toqué (it's mad!)

[mint]

Love c'est toqué!  Will have a job trying to keep that OUT of my vocabulary now!  Trouble is, learning formally as I have done, I don't have a lot of colloquial expressions.

[mint]

[quote user="KathyF"]Even though we are only in France for a few months a year, we find ourselves using French words in conversation at times, especially when we're there. Things like dechetterie and mairie of course, but also referring to our depot-vente-bought furniture by their French names of armoire and buffet and using French names for particular foods. I can imagine doing much more of that if we were there full-time and speaking French all the time.[/quote]

I can understand that as you would have looked for these items in French in France, if you see what I mean.

I would ask, "Shall I light the poêle as it feels a bit nippy?".  We had gas central heating back in the UK and, of course the poêle is a new thing altogether for us.  We never think to say "woodburner" as that's a bit of a mouthful.  Also, I had to learn to pronounce "poêle" and that has helped it to stick. 

The OH still can't say poêle, so he improvises and says, "OK, I'll light the Godin!" 

[Nicos]

Me too ...septic tank is such a mouthful when I've never had to say it in English....Fosse is such a lovely word in comparison!!!

[RicandJo]

I know I work in Italy but I work with a bunch of French guys (aswell as Polish, Greek, Belgian, German, Dutch and a few Italians) but I sometimes find I start speaking limited French to the French guys who speak back to me in limited English!

[tj]

Hi

When we learn another language, the brains order of learning is usually to begin understanding what is being said, the next stage is when the brain and you have enough confidence to actually begin speaking, until this happens we have a very limited vocabulary and understanding, based only  what we have read and heard.The actual conversation stage is the hardest bit but is then followed by much quicker learning and a rapid increase in our word bank. 

Once the foreign language becomes the predominent one, the brain will in simple terms, begin switching over, this is when we find ourselves mixing the languages as we speak, all perfectly normal. As the brain switches over, it becomes less and less dependent on the native language and gradually, and unconciously you enter the phase where the brain actually starts to think in the new language.

It follows, that with extended isolation from the native, you will lose the ability of that language, but we are talking a long time. 

 

[mint]

tj

I do believe you've got it.  Yes, by Jove, you've got it.  That's exactly how my brain's worked so far.  By the way, English is about my 4th language.