ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE FRENCH CONNECTION

 

 

Since 1066, when England was conquered by the Normans- a warlike people of mixed Scandinavian and French stock- English has been heavily influenced by the French language, so much so, that some linguists debate that English has effectively become a hybrid Germanic-Romance language. This was only reinforced by the intense (and often openly hostile) relationship between France and England throughout the Middle Ages. Even in colonial times, English speakers were in constant contact with Quebecois and Acadian (Cajun) French-speakers, so it comes as no surprise that English features many terms directly lifted from French, often with the intention of lending a fancy and pretentious air to whatever it is you’re trying to say (a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will).

 

France ruled over England for almost a century, and French was the language of the court and the nobility. This period left an indelible mark on the English language, influencing both its vocabulary and grammar. Some of these words don't even sound like French at first glance, but that's a story for another time. French words make up almost a third of the entire English vocabulary (around 10,000 words). But just because we’ve adopted these words, doesn’t mean that we’re actually using them correctly. Here are some of the most egregious examples of words that would make a French speaker’s ears bleed.

 

In this blog, we will investigate certain French words and phrases you might as well use while you're in France. Even though some of these phrases may be tricky to pronounce, they are sure to enrich your vocabulary and make you sound more versed in the language.

 

1. Et voilà! or Voilà! (pronounced as et vwaa-laa) Meaning: Behold, here it is! Example sentence: Et voilà!! The cake is ready. Let’s start this list with a simple and non-intimidating phrase most English speakers are already familiar with. You can use Et voilà! or simply Voilà! anytime you want to demonstrate something and you also want to make it sound more exciting.

 

2. Cliché (klee-sheh) Meaning: a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. Example sentence: The phrase, “All that glitters isn't gold,” is one of the most overused clichés in English writing. We’ve all encountered mindlessly-written sentences, repetitive images used in art and film, and even stereotypical opinions. When these tropes become painfully-overused, they can be easily called a cliché. It’s easy to remember the meaning of this term once you learn of its origin. The word cliché originated in the 1800s in the printing trade. It’s a way to refer to a printer’s block used to reproduce a commonly-used phrase.

 

3. Je ne sais quoi (zhuh nuh say kwah) Meaning: an indescribable (usually positive) characteristic of a person or an object. Example sentence: That actor has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody! The literal translation of Je ne sais quoi from French is “I don’t know what,” and it is typically preceded by a certain both in French and English. We usually use it to describe an attractive characteristic or charm that’s hard to pin down.

 

4. Vis-à-vis (vee-zah-vee) Meaning: regarding or concerning a certain subject, in relation to, a face-to-face meeting, a private meeting. Example sentence: 1. The banker met with the young businessman vis-à-vis his loan application. 2. My country’s currency is stronger vis-à-vis several other countries. Literally translated as “face to face,” vis-à-vis is one of those French words we think we know but always misuse. It’s erroneously used to mean “to see eye-to-eye,” for example, so be careful with the way you use this phrase because you may be misunderstood.

 

5. Apropos (a-pruh-pow) Meaning: at an opportune time or occasion, just at the right time, relevant. Example sentence: Jane’s letter arrived apropos. In English, we have a beautiful expression that captures the meaning of apropos. That expression is, “the stars align in someone’s favor.” If you want to save yourself a lot of time, though, just use the French expression. It is by no means less refined or eloquent.

 

6. Bon voyage (bon vwa-yazh) Meaning: Have a good journey! Example sentence: Bon voyage, enjoy your trip to France! Here’s another phrase that’s super easy to incorporate in your everyday speech. It’s just is a fun way of wishing someone a good trip when they’re leaving. Is it the same as saying “goodbye” to someone? Not quite, but many people do use the two interchangeably in English, so the jury is out on that one.

 

7. Déjà vu (de-zha-voo) Meaning: A feeling that you’ve already been in a situation you’re in before. Example sentence: It was my first time in London, but that bookstore made me experience a severe case of déjà vu. Be it a stranger that looked familiar or an unfamiliar place that looks like something you swear you remember, déjà vu is one of those odd phenomena we’ve all experienced in our lifetime. The literal translation of déjà vu is "already seen," but this translation poorly explains the eerie feeling itself. As for the phrase itself - déjà vu - it’s one of the most notoriously mispronounced French borrowings in English. If you, too, pronounce it as “day zhavoo,” we recommend you drop the “-ay”, if you want to sound more accurate.

 

8. Au contraire (o-kont-rer) Meaning: on the contrary, on the opposite side. Example sentence: “I can see that this is no help: au contraire.” Admittedly, this phrase is mostly used in written English rather than spoken language, with the lone spoken expression containing the phrase being au contraire mon frère (on the contrary my brother), which is usually used ironically. However, it may be useful for you to know that au contraire is a fancy way to interject a previous statement.

 

9. Faux pas (fo-pa) French Phrases in English Faux pas Like Meaning: a social blunder Example sentence: By commenting on the shreaded jeans of a mother of two the Chief Minister made a faux pas. The phrase faux pas literally means “a false step” in French, which makes it easy to remember that a faux pas is any action that should be avoided, or else, you're risking offending someone or finding yourself in an embarrassing social situation. What a useful phrase! A similar word is faux amis, or "false friends".

 

10. RSVP Meaning: Please respond. Example sentence: The invitation says we should RSVP by the end of next week. Most people aren’t even aware that RSVP is of French origin. In reality, the term is an abbreviation derived from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plaît, which means “please reply.” It is customary to use RSVP in written invitations, as a way to confirm whether or not a guest is planning on arriving at the gathering.

11. Fillet (French: filet, pronounced as filleh) This is perhaps the most common mispronunciation of French loanwords is turning the final E in words that end in “et” or “é” into an “ay” diphthong. This can also be seen in words such as buffet (bouffeh in French, buhffay in English)

 

12. Entrée (pronounced as untreh) This one is a landmine because in French, entrée means “entrance”, and in the context of food- a starter, whereas in English it came to mean the main course. There has surely been a course correction since!

 

13. Hors d’oeuvres (pronounced: ‘or doovre’ and not ‘or durves’ : Another way to refer to an appetizer or starter, here we can see an example of metathesis, a linguistic phenomenon where consonants are interchanged for ease of pronunciation, as “vr” isn’t a common consonant cluster in English, particularly in the final position, while “rv” is far more palatable (serve, swerve, and in UK English- turves).

 

14. Guillotine (pronounced as ‘giyotine’ and not ‘gilliotine’) Meaning: behead, decapitate or execute.

 

15. Coup de Grâce (pronounced as ‘coo de grahss’ and not ‘coo de gra’ Meaning: a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal -"he administered the coup de grâce with a knife" or an action or event that serves as the culmination of a bad or deteriorating situation – “Ronaldo delivered the coup de grâce with a penalty two minutes from time"

 

16.  Négligée : As you might imagine, this doesn’t refer in French to a sheer nightgown, but is rather a particularly rude way of referring to the woman wearing it as somehow “neglected”. In French, the sexy nightwear is actually known as déshabillé, literally “undressed”…..they are French you see!

 

 

The French are justifiably proud of their contribution to the English language but if you mispronounce these words you would receive is a blank stare or a condescending smirk.