These French words disguised as jokes by the English

In 1130, a legend says that a miracle took place in Somerset, southwest England. A dumb man would have started speaking English and … French at the same time! This story would be a story if it did not accurately illustrate the ancestral connection between our two languages. From the conquest of William the Conqueror in Hastings, which led to the establishment of the Normans in England, French and English are closely linked. Look at the words that led to their words. “The French dialect of Normandy, imported by the conquerors, did not hide the contempt for the vocabulary of the conquerors, thus becoming the language of power and, soon, of honor.”Mary Treps, linguist and semiologist writes Displaced words. The tribulation of the French in Europe (Threshold, 2009).

Misrepresentations and unusual places

That “English Demons”As the linguist affectionately calls them, we hid some of our expressions without punishment. “Wrong” Thus became Fox pawsReally … “Fox feet”! thank you very much Has changed Mercy bucket, I mean …“Bitter bucket”. As for the formula “Right now”She has become Very sweetI mean word for word … “Sweet Hong”. Not to mention the expressions they make in French, which we French speakers do not understand. If an Englishman wants to change the title, he will say strangely: “About Boots”.

Do not forget these expressions, they are unusual, pronounced in French, they are found everywhere. Its effect is as extraordinary as it is humorous. What should be understood in the sentence: “It’s beautiful but it’s not war”?

French words in kitchens … from the Middle Ages

Our two countries have traded words and expressions for centuries, which we borrow from each other. As early as 1137, English took over French words TreasureWhere Cancel For “President”, Caught For “Prison” And “Justice”, The author notes. Even today, some everyday terms are borrowed directly from medieval Norman: Vegetables, “Vegetables” In English, it comes from Old French VegetableIt “Living”, Flesh, French Add Where Curtain, “Screen”From the old French Curtain.

The vocabulary of the kitchen is colorful with our language. According to Mary Treps, in the Middle Ages, animals were designated by their Anglo-Saxon name and, later, were once cooked and served at the table of the Norman lord, with their French equivalent. Thus GoatsSheep grazing in the meadows, has become Mutton. எருது, The living bull, turned BeefAnd Pig, “Pig”Changed as pork.