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PRESENTS TOffP
Foreign terminology makes a cultural impact
and adds some life to American vocabulary
By ANGELA HAMPTON
Staff Writer
"I "est la vie. test la vie ... ."
there's that song again on the radio.
Yeah, that's it. It's foreign French,
right? That phrase they keep singing:
"C'cNt la vie." Hmmm . . . catchy.
Most Americans, whether French
scholars or not. have heard the saying
"C est la vie" sometime in their lives,
and most immediately think to
themselves. "ah. such is life." It's a
common French expression that has
been used in the English language for
ages.
Whv employ French words when
there are English equivalents to
express the same meaning?
Americans (as well as most other
people) often associate French lan
guage and culture with art. fine food,
fashion and. ah. romance. So, per
haps the recognition and utilization
of French expressions signifies some
sort of knowledge.
French terms are certainly abun
dant in American culture. For exam
ple, a person looking for a good
breakfast or lunch might stop at a
cafe for coffee and croissants.
However, the cuisine at a larger
restaurant may be more appealing for
dinner. One. can start with hors
d'oeuvres, or perhaps les escargots.
for an appetizer. Then, for an entree,
dishes like coq au vin and chicken
cordon bleu are very delicieux. Still
hungry? Then, dessert is a must.
Mousse au chocolat fantastique!
But bons bons from a gourmet sweet
shop can be equally as appealing.
Whatever the decision, bon appetit!
The world of fashion is another
outlet for French vocabulary. French
brand names, such as Esprit, are tres
chic to Americans who wish to be
a la mode. French labels can be
expensive, though. It is not common
to find a beau chapeau a bon marchc
in an exclusive boutique.
It is clear that Americans have
adopted many French expressions.
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But is this the extent of the French
American cultural exchange? Has
America had no influence or impact
on France? -
Au contraire! There is an expand
ing English American vocabulary
within the French language as well.
Charles Bice, a senior English
economics major, spent . a year
studving abroad in Montpelicr.
France. Bice said he noticed words
like le weekend, le parking, and super
which were used commonly by the
French people with whom he came
in contact. "They're so integrated that
you get to w here you dont even think
about it." he said.
The use of English words by many
French people is probably prompted
by the airing of L'.S. television shows
in France. Bise says. "They all get
syndicated American TV." he said,
"so they (the French) may get catch
words from it."
Paula Stafford, a bio-statistics
major, noticed the influence of U.S.
television on French v iews of Amer
ica when she spent a year in Montpe
licr. France. "To them. America is
California. Dallas and New York."
she said. "They see our TV shows
and think we all dress like Pamela
Fwing."
Bice said that use of English
expressions was more prevalent in
larger cities and among the students
and that the university crowd has
access to English because it is the first
foreign language they usually learn.
Hence, English words, usually old
hat, are used by the French to reflect
cultural trends. Words like le fast
food and ITiamburger have directly
resulted from fast food chains, such
as McDonalds, which are now
scattered throughout France and
much of Europe.
Fiona Doloughan.. a French IV
teaching assistant who is a graduate
student in comparative literature,
spent a year in Lyon. France and
several summers working in Brittany.
Doloughan said that about 10 to 15
years ago. certain elite classes of
Parisians considered it stylish to use
English words such as le drink and
le hvingroom rather than their own
French counterparts. "What is dif
ferent from your own always has a
sort of appeal.". -
American, clothing trends have
also influenced French terminology.
Doloughan said that words like le
t-shirt. le jean and le short were often
used while she lived in France. She
said that the French even called their
high-top tennis shoes les baskets after
American basketball shoes.
Advances . in industry and
technology have resulted in recent
additions to the French vocabulary .
"In technical or scientific circles, you
w ould find the use of English words."
Doloughan said. She had often heard
the word le computer, even though
the French term for computer is
lordinateur.
But the French carefully monitor
the addition of new words into their
- vocabulary. Through L'Academie
Francaise (the French Academy),
w hich has been in existence for 350
years, the French pass judgement on
new words, grammar and its usage.
"Within the last decade, they
( L'Academie Francaise) had a trend
where they tried to purify the French
language." said Doloughan. "I'm not
sure that they Ye been very successful
in that just because English is such
an international language."
Doloughan said that in the future,
it is more likely that American
English words will be integrated into
the French language than British
English words. This mix is probable
because the American vocabulary is
expanding more rapidly than that of
the British.
It is not certain which country.
France or America, has integrated
more of the other's language into its
own. but both vocabularies are
expanding steadily. At any rate, it
just might pay off to brush up on
the old Francais at a time when more
and more trends are influenced by
the French. As they say. "Vive La
France!" Of course, in France, that
mav be changing to "Vive I'America!"
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