“Dink”, “trainee”… these principles of English should not be accepted

Every day, a new word borrowed from English appears. However, the use of these terms often turns out to be redundant in our vocabulary.

By
Dorian Gralier

Posted On 02/28/2023 at 07:00

Every season, they come in clusters and cause damage French language Like vine leafworm. The British have a tough tooth. Any new phenomenon of society, this globish (short for “global” and “English”), is an excuse to use a debased form of the language. Shakespeare. “I can’t answer you”, “He’s working full distance”, “I think he’ll leave me alone”… Unbeknownst to us, these debts put our credibility to the test. What distorts our syntax is questionable and often misunderstood. We translate them for you.

Dinks

“Tinks keep showing up on social media.” You must have met them on the street recently. What were once called “couples (without children)” no longer exist. Call them “Dinks”. An abbreviation of “dual income, no children”, meaning “dual income, no children”, the term was first used in the United States in 1987. Online Etymological Dictionary. This is an article Time magazineEntitled Hail: Here come the dings, it specifies. Dinks are people who choose not to have children because of the environmental crisis and doubts about the future they will leave for potential descendants. Some even consider it unnecessary for their “personal fulfillment”.

Streak

No, you’re not dreaming. “Start Your Career as a Trainer”, we can read in the posters of the recruitment campaign produced by a brand of “discount” supermarkets in France. Mentioning the position of “coach” was, at least, not well-chosen by the marketing team, who, using English, overlooked this in the language. MoliereThe word had a different meaning… from the French “train” meaning “to pull and handle” across the Channel from the 16th century, “a coachman” designates a person. Some careers require aspirants to undergo a preparatory period.

“Read more – Anthony Lacoudre: “French has really invaded the English language”

Digital

From Imperial Latin “digitalis” (“having the size of a finger”), English and French have used the adjective “digital” since the 15th century and 18th century, respectively. In both languages, it refers to something related to the finger. But, as explainedFrench Academy, English got the words “digit” (“number”) and “digital” (“uses numbers”, ie a computer system, etc.) from this word because one counted on the fingers. French, on the other hand, has chosen to use the adjective “number” (from the Latin “number”, “number”) to refer to the representation of information, data in the form of numbers. So we’re talking about a watch with a “digital” display, not a watch with a “digital” display.

Active

“He’s the most proactive and motivated candidate I’ve seen this morning.” Appearing in the field of psychology, the adjective “active” is used to describe someone who knows how to take action, to qualify someone who takes his life in his hands and refuses to be guided by external events. Derived from the English “active” (Latin “activus”, “expressing action”), it replaces many adjectives and periphrases that French has to translate the concept of “reactive ability”. Also, we will say: “He’s curious.” Instead: “He’s active.”