In a sea of English, survival and success will always depend on our
mastery of it. Knowledge of a language is power, and the deeper the expertise
of it, the more power at our disposal.
We are fast forgetting that the day before yesterday
French was the language of diplomacy, elegance, refinement and culture, and
that our grandparents –in the English and Hispanic worlds- spattered their
conversation with Gallic words and expressions to prove they were culturally
in, in the know. We cannot have a thorough knowledge of English without an
understanding of the influence of French and its legacy.
The example:
In order to be au courant (fully informed, fashionable,
stylish, conversant), I always try to rub elbows with la crème de la crème (high society), and the nouveau rich (newly rich), with those who set the bon ton (proper, conforming to accepted
standards), with those who have that je ne sais quoi (something that cannot
be adequately described or expressed, a certain something), who give us joie de vivre (keen enjoyment of life), comme il faut (proper, conforming to
accepted standards).
Yesterday I had a tête
à tête (a private conversation between two persons) with a gourmet (a
connoisseur of food and drink) acquaintance of mine, over a demitasse (a small cup of black coffee) and a croissant (a crescent-shaped roll) in a chic (smart, elegant) bistro
(a small restaurant or bar). He was accompanied by a femme fatale (seductive woman) who vaguely suggested a ménage à trois, (sex involving three
people, excuse my French!) as if this could possibly be some sort of a fait accompli (presumably acceptable or
done). Being an intellectual of sorts, I declined and ordered apple pie à la mode (topped with ice cream) in
order to break the cul-de-sac
(dead-end) our conversation had
reached. I concluded that both were bons
vivants (those who enjoy the good life) but lacked the savoir faire (tact) elegant
people possess.
I took French leave, of course. I did not even mutter
a succinct adieu (farewell). (All these words are included in
English dictionaries.)
The background:
We all know that the whole thing started in 1066, when
William the Conqueror won the battle of Hastings and settled in England.
William, being from Brittany, spoke French. He was simply a Duke but he marched
to London and became King. He brought along his nobility, his troops and, to
boot, thousands of new words in order to colonize the English language. For
three hundred years the Kings of England spoke French.
That is why English has a duality of vocabulary:
Hue/Color - Rape/Violate - Foe/Enemy - Pig/Pork - Woe/Problem – Wrath/Anger –
Mankind/Humanity – Might/ Power – Hearty/Cordial.
Spanish speakers find English so easy to learn because
of the Latin/French vocabulary. Right?
The fact that the nobility, the higher classes, the
upper crust, spoke French seeped into the British populace, the hoi polloi, the
plebs, and left them agape to this day.
The 18th and 19th centuries
marked the heyday of the French language which became fashionable to the point that
in some European Courts –Prussia and Russia, for example- it was the official
language, spoken daily by Catherine the Great and Frederick the Great, for
instance. Read the Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798), the lady-killer,
where he explains about French.
World-War I gave the French language the coup de grace, the deathblow that
started its decline, slowly but surely.
Up till the fifties French was the language of choice
in US schools, now supplanted by Spanish.
It has given us also French kiss,
French cuff, French bread, French chalk, French leave, French toast and, of
course, French letter, French horn, and French fries.
The present:
La langue française still has that
aura of elegance, of continental flair, of culture, of haute couture, great cuisine,
prêt à porter, champagne, The Pink
Panther, among the
English-speaking peoples, probably handed down from generation to generation
since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. So, by all means do sprinkle your
discourse with smatterings of Gallic phraseology, with bons mots that will enhance your reputation as a savant. Mind not if you are tagged as a
pedant, or idiot-savant. What is
important is to do it at the right time, in the right place so as not to make a
faux pas. Envy, as the Bible tells
us, “slayeth the silly man.”
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