THE FRENCH HAVE A WORD FOR IT

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY; MORE HOW YOU PRONOUNCE IT.

I'm not sure if it's arrogance on the part of one and laziness on the other, but the French prefer, rather than adopting a foreign word or phrase, to invent a new one, while Anglo-Saxons blithely swallow French words whole.

           So the French invented ordinateur for "computer", logiciel for "programme" clavier for "keyboard" and souris for "mouse" while English swallowed an entire lexicon of French terms; eg. souffle, connoisseur, chef, entrée, just to name those related to food.

           The traffic, however, isn't entirely in one direction. Periodically the Larousse and Petit Robert, France's most popular dictionaries, hand down lists of foreign words and phrases that have crept into the language and should be regarded as permanent residents, next to burger, taxi, cowboy, weekend, brunch, jazz and football.

           So as of 2023 it's permissible to say, if you are attacted to someone, that, rather than experiencing a béguin, you have un crush. And if, at the other end of the emotional spectrum, you expunge all trace of them from your metaverse, you have se faire ghoster - made them a ghost.  

           These transfers are straightforward.  Others are more obscure. An on-line scammer, for example,  is henceforth to be known as a brouteur, which apparently comes from the language of the Ivory Coast. But why zèbre - "zebra" - for a child prodigy? Your guess is as good as mine.         

           Fashion has dictated certain new arrivals, and will probably expunge them from the next edition. I don't see chicklit surviving - but who knew that happy hour would be taken up with such enthusiasm?  Some newcomers arrived with the pandemic. Covid long (for the variant form of the virus whose symptoms persist), passe vaccinal  and distanciel probably won't last, ­though I retain a sentimental attachment to vaccinodrome for "vaccine centre". (I'd have suggested vaccinotheque.)                 

           The ball, of course, is now very much in the English court. What French words might the language of Shakespeare and the King James Bible profitably acquire?          

           Well, how about le smoking instead of "dinner jacket"? And slip for the detestable "underpants"? Branché - "connected" or "plugged in" - could replace "hip" or "cool", feuilleton - literally a collection of leaves- take the place of "soap opera".  And is there a more charming endearment than ma biche - "my doe."?         

           At the top of my list, however, would be flâner; the practice of walking the streets of a town without aim or direction, simply for the pleasure of it, and generally alone.  The French invented the practice, laid down rules for its performance, and refined it to the near-perfection it enjoys today. "Strolling" or "ambling" don’t quite fit. Only flânerie captures the insouciance, the sense of joie de vivre…

           And yes, you do need the circonflex. Get used to it.

The ultimate flaneur - Boldoni’s portrait of Count Robert de Montesquiou.