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sissymaidlola -> RE: the nuances of English v. the nuisances of French (4/8/2005 3:41:01 PM)
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Well, Madame, sissy thinks he will respond to You on this sub-thread next because he doesn't like the direction the other one is heading in .... [:(]
quote:
Sissy don't you think "French" sounds much sexier than english? It does to me. English lacks certain nuances I think
Puits oui, Madame, il semble plus sexy, mais non, Madame, quand il vient aux nuances, ce n'est pas. English is probably the richest and most flexible of all the languages in the world. Do not underrate the significance of the English language in the success of the Anglo-Saxon races WRT world hegemony. Once such things as military might and national wealth started to fade in Britain it was only natural that the balance of power would pass to another English speaking and writing nation rather than say the Russians, French or Germans.
English is fed by a number of languages that are themselves very rich ... Latin (now a dead language, but in its day as equally crucial to the success of Roman hegemony in building and maintaining the Holy Roman Empire), Greek, French itself (because Britain was successfully conquered by the Normans in 1066), Celtic (the language of the races indigenous to much of Britain before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded), and many of the great cultures that Britain ruled for a while have fed many of their own words (for things that English didn't have a word for - e.g., mufti) back into the language (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Chinese - because of Hong Kong and Singapore - South African, etc.).
The English language has given expression to the acknowledged oratory and literary genius of the three main Celtic cultures of the British Isles - e.g., Scotland's Rabbie Burns (the Bard), Wales' Dylan Thomas, and Ireland's James Joyce (and so many others). Chaucer, Dickens and Shakespeare are probably the three most important writers of their era and genres. The rich lingual influence of India gave rise to Rudyard Kipling. In North America, despite the fact that it was populated with immigrants from all over the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia) some of which must have written in their native languages, almost all the great works of American and Canadian literature are written in English. That is because the English language is great at absorbing the underlying culture feeding it ... be it Kipling and the complex Indian culture, or Thomas and the Welsh, or Mark Twain and the American south.
French, OTOH, is a very controlled language. English absorbs words and expressions from all over ... they just ripple up by common usage and then the dictionary compilers capture what is current vernacular, but the French decide top-down by committee what words are to be officially admitted to the language. Consequently, French is no way near as rich and varied and universal. But controlling the word usage and meaning means that French is more precise, which is presumably why it is the language of international diplomacy. sissy Would love to know if the incidence rate of flame wars on a French message board is lower than on English message boards since most flames are caused by miscomprehension and misunderstanding ... sounds like a good doctoral thesis to lola! <giggles>
So French has LESS nuances than English, not more. In fact, in English, when we want an extra nuance we will use the French expression rather than the English. "Quel dommage!" has a nuance that "what a pity" doesn't quite capture, for instance. The French don't reciprocate by using "what a pity" instead of "quel dommage!" That is their loss and the English language's gain. One might argue that "quel dommage" is not part of the English language either but just a French phrase used by pretentious English speakers. But words such as "décor" and "ambiance" are part of the language, and that was probably just a bad choice of example because there are French phrases that are considered to be part of the language, too - sissy just can't think of any right now.
The English language is also the source of a great wealth of verbal humor ... puns, alliteration, satire, double-entendres, etc. ... HAHA! now sissy has thought of one! You see, Madame, when you don't try too hard to think of something it just comes to you! English has more diverse forms of verbal humor than almost any other language. The common joke is that that the Germans have no sense of humor, but the truth of the matter is that their language is simply too rigid and structured, and much of the English language word play simply cannot be translated into German, nor can anywhere near the same quantity of alternative German word play situations originate in that language. Hence the proper conclusion to be drawn is that there are less humor opportunities in the German language ... NOT that the Teutonic races don't have humorous genes! Similarly, French with its limited scope but greater precision of meaning, also gives less opportunity for word play ... hence there are less humor situations in the French language, too. This may also account for why the French actually enjoy mimes and Jerry Lewis! [sm=lol.gif]
quote:
No, there are no BBB here; the only times I've seen them is when I've driven to DC (I believe in CT, NJ, or MD).
But not recently, sissy would imagine. sissy Hasn't seen one in the metro DC area in years. Perhaps they still exist out in the sticks ?
quote:
I like "all you can beat" for a reasonably priced restaurant chain; I definitely like the "Chipped Paddle" though have to tell you I'm not crazy about mexican food
Your wish is sissy's command, Madame <deep curtsey> ... they have both been included.
Au revoir, Madame.
sissy maid lola
[image]local://upfiles/21203/F7A8A6909E154CF6935BC27C0117A29F.jpg[/image]
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