"déclenché": what does this word mean?

[mint]

I was reading about Jean Giono being inspired to write after reading a book by Kipling.

Here is the context:

Giono says:  C'est cette simple phrase qui a tout délenché.  J'ai senti avec certitude que j'étais capable d'écrire moi aussi.

I can't quess at the meaning and I have tried looking it up in the infinitive form (délencher) and also tried it without the prefix (lencher).

It's now getting to be a bit of a challenge to find out .......

Thank you in advance.

Edit:  pardon, can't now alter the title line but the word is délenché  

 

[idun]

I would say it was a typo, must be declenche, that would make sense.

 

[Clair]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Giono says:  C'est cette simple phrase qui a tout déclenché.  J'ai senti avec certitude que j'étais capable d'écrire moi aussi.[/quote]

originally, the verb déclencher means to unlock by use of a mechanical device.

In this context, it means the sentence determined/caused/ the feeling:

.... sentence that started it all. I felt with complete certainty that I, too, could be a writer.

synonyms: http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french/declencher/22237/synonym

Edit: yes, a typo, as clearly explained by the context you gave.

[woolybanana]

"set off", "caused"?

[mint]

Thank you, idun and Clair.

The word was wrong in the book..................gggrrrggghhhh!

Happens all the time in English books as well; just that I have no problem deconstructing the sense in English!

Thanks again; can now happily go back to reading [:D]

 

[mint]

And, thank you, Wooly.

I can normally guess at the sense but obviously if they haven't even spelt the word right.....[:'(]

[woolybanana]

To be fair, I did not even notice the spelling mistake and so was not put off by it at all.

[woolybanana]

Le fait de voir mon ex-belle mère a déclenché une crise?

[cooperlola]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Le fait de voir mon ex-belle mère a déclenché une crise?[/quote][:D]

[mint]

[quote user="woolybanana"]To be fair, I did not even notice the spelling mistake and so was not put off by it at all.[/quote]

You didn't notice the error, Wools, because you know the word sufficiently well not to need it to be correctly spelt.

Isn't there some test they do when they write a sentence with words deliberately misspelt or vowels missing and you could still understand it perfectly because it's the brain and not the eye that "understands" meanings?

[woolybanana]

Well, it is something that first language speakers do instinctively but which causes problems to second language learners. We used to have exercises involving this to encourage students to look for global meaning for context. Of course, there are variations depending on educational cultural background. Those built of absolute and detailed correctness, usually extensive rote learning would have the biggest problems.

[andrew44]

'Trigger' (not Roy Rogers' horse), i.e. set off, started.

But the others are right, of course.

Andrew 44

[Chancer]

Well your sub-conscious must have been working for you to choose that title, I read the title and the rest of the thread before realising that you had written delenché in the text which rather proves the point made later on.

[mint]

Yes, Chance, it's very strange how it works but you often get a "feeling" about something being right or not.

Sometimes, it's just whether you can say the word aloud and if it doesn't sound right, then it often isn't.

[JohnRoss]

It is a word I will never forget having had my car broken into and making a report at the police station when the gendarme wrote "ils ont déclenché l'alarme" having broken into half a dozen others before mine...................JR