Don’t cheat and pronounce the following word at normal speed, as it is written: chairvsyesterie. Not easy, is it? Well, rejoice, because you were born at the right time since, as everyone knows, today we no longer say chairvsyesterie, but charvsuterie. The reason ? Here it is: we, French speakers, are big lazy people, and our ancestors were no better. Eh yes ! Because we all undergo the rigors of a rule as implacable for linguistic evolution as it is unpleasant for our ego: the law of least effort. A slope which leads us to distort the terms handed down by previous generations in order to be able to pronounce them more easily. This is how we collectively went from “fleshcuiterie” to “charcuterie”. And this is not an isolated case, far from it. Here are other illustrations.
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The removal of certain vowels. If we say “I learn”, it is because “I learn” is difficult to articulate due to the consecutive presence of two vowels. Hence the deletion of the final vowel of the first word. The process is identical for the bee, the economy, winter, oblivion and many others. This is called elision (not elision!).
Adding “crutches” letters. For what “etat” does it begin with an é – while Latin was content with status ? For what “ecole” (school) ? For what esword (spatha) ? For what ecloth (stella) ? Because, from the 2nd century, our ancestors added an “i” to the head of words starting with [sk], [sp] Or [st] to facilitate pronunciation, before this “i” evolves into é, as Julien Soulié recalls in The whys of French (1). However, vowels are not the only ones affected. Sometimes it’s a consonant that serves as a crutch as in “if L‘we’re thinking about it’ or ‘arrive-t-il?”. The same small arrangements are used for some of our conjugations, notably in the imperative. This is how we do not say “va y” nor “mange en”, but “vas-y” and “eats-in”.
The change of letters. When the Franks arrived in “France”, they introduced into the late Latin of the Gallo-Romans consonants that they did not know, and in particular the [w]. Disoriented by this enigmatic sound, our ancestors shamelessly distorted it, first into [gw] then in [g], in short. Therefore wardôn (to look towards) became “to keep” and that warnjan (to be careful of something) gradually metamorphosed into “to garnish”.
Proper names are not spared by our collective laziness. The ancient confluence of the Seine and the Oise, which was formerly called Confluentium, thus gave way to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines). Likewise, the term topt (“farm”), brought by the Vikings, was blithely simplified into earlyas in Yvetot (Seine-Maritime).
A tip for hiatuses. It is not always easy to pronounce two vowels separately within a word. In any case, this is what people must have thought in the 14th century. See the verb “faire” in the second person of the simple past tense, which until then gave “tu fe-is”, with a hiatus considered too restrictive. Never mind ! We stopped pronouncing the -e- to keep only the -i-, and this is how our modern “tu fis” appeared (which is in the process of being sacrificed on the altar of modernity to benefit from the past tense, but that’s another subject…).
Likewise, the past tense of avoir, “eu”, was long articulated in two syllables: “eu”. But, there again, there was (it is true to say so) “reduction of the hiatus” to arrive at the simple sound [u]. Note, however, that, unlike “you did”, the old spelling has been preserved here.
Abandoned nasalization. For a long time, friend said to himself “an-mi”, clearly making the sound “an” sound. Too complicated ! In the 17th century, we moved to our modern “friend”. What specialists call a de-na-sa-li-sa-tion (not easy to say either, by the way).
So we, French speakers, are just lazy people, slackers, cossards? Let’s not cover our heads with ashes too quickly because these processes could not be more rational. Expressing oneself, in fact, is not simply an intellectual exercise allowing us to communicate; it is also a physical activity. “We speak a language not only with the mouth, but also with the whole body. Dozens of muscles animate the larynx, tongue, jaw and lips which, when mobilized, together consume considerable energy”, rightly recalled the writer and historian of language Claude Duneton (2).
It is therefore particularly out of concern for the economy that French is transformed, generation after generation. And of course, the 21st century continues this movement. We collectively tend to shorten words deemed too long: “prof” instead of “professor”; “kilo”, instead of kilogram; “computer”, instead of “computer”. Likewise, we distinguish less and less between “spot” and “task”, “paw” and “dough”, “put” and “master”. And we can reasonably assume that, within a century or two, “yes” will have officially given way to “yeah” and that the “ne” in negative sentences will have completely disappeared. Well, not sure, but it’s probably.
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(1) The whys of FrenchJulien Soulié, First Editions.
(2) Talk crunchy, by Claude Duneton. Editions Lo Chamin de Sent Jaume.
READ ELSEWHERE
The poster in English of the young Macronists exasperates the defenders of French
Think different, Renew Europe : this is the slogan – in English in the text – chosen by the young Macronists for the poster they have just presented for the next European elections. A common poster for all the members of their Renew parliamentary group, certainly, but which had the gift of ulcerating several associations for the defense of the French language. Which for this reason call not to vote for the Macronist list on June 9.
100 words and expressions of the French language that have conquered the worldby Jean Pruvost
The Germans say “charming” and “aperitif”; the English “je ne sais quoi” and “undressed”; the “cordon-bleu” and “daring” Italians; the Japanese “song” and “coup d’état”; the Spanish “affair” and “enfant terrible”… The linguist Jean Pruvost has brought together 100 words and expressions from the French language used beyond our borders.
100 words and expressions of the French language that have conquered the world, by Jean Pruvost. Editions Le Figaro littéraire.
Why do we say “France” but “Canada”?
Many countries have masculine gender names: Portugal, Luxembourg, Peru, Canada… Many others, on the contrary, have feminine gender: France, Bolivia, Switzerland, Sweden… Still others do not never take an article: Monaco, Israel, Haiti… Muriel Gilbert describes the reasons for this distribution (following a technical problem, I reproduce this text already published last week, with an operational link, this time).
The Marmande savings bank deregisters a customer defending Occitan
For years, Laurent Lemaitre-Martin had been a customer of the Caisse d’Epargne de Marmande. Speaking Occitan, he had requested and obtained that his banking documents be written in Occitan language. Without explanation, and without his consent, although provided for under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), he was initially forced to use French, before removing him. Contacted by L’Express, the bank did not wish to comment.
When Breton separatists blew up “state TV” to defend the Breton language
In 1974, the separatists of the Front for the Liberation of Brittany (FLB) plasticized a television transmitter. An act by which they intended to denounce “state television” on which “the Breton language was marginalized”, with 1 minute 30 per week. In the afternoon, the site’s deputy director died of a heart attack upon discovering the damage. Fifty years later, the event remains present in memories, as recounted in this article from The cross.
Soon a West Flemish Public Office?
In order to safeguard the Flemish language and promote its culture, the Hauts-de-France region plans to create a Public Office for West Flemish. The project could come to fruition in the coming months.
Take part in the Floral Games literary competition
On May 3, 1324, the troubadour Arnaud Vidal de Castelnaudary was rewarded for a poem written in langue d’oc by the Consist of the Gay Saber, considered the oldest literary society in Europe. Seven centuries later, not only are these Floral Games still alive in Toulouse, but they will also be celebrated in… Sceaux, in Hauts-de-Seine, a town with a long Felibrean tradition, through a literary competition in French. of oc. To participate, contact: Sceaux Floral Games Committee, Town Hall, 122, rue Houdan, 92331 Sceaux Cedex.
“The” college where Norman is taught
Renaud Girard teaches Norman at the Marcel-Grillard college in Bricquebec (Manche), for one hour per week. A meritorious device, but largely insufficient if France intends to save this language once spoken by William the Conqueror.
TO LISTEN
There is no such thing as a “neutral” accent
“100% of human beings have an accent.” This is particularly what the French-speaking Swiss radio and television, which has just devoted a series of reports to this theme. And yet, many professions exclude people who express themselves with a pronunciation different from that of the Parisian bourgeoisie, falsely presented as “neutral”.
TO WATCH
Hed, by the Kreiz Breizh Akademi
But yes, we can swing in Breton! The proof with this jazzy bagad from the modern Celtic wave, which revisits this traditional piece from Lower Brittany. With, on vocals, Elodie Jaffré and Axel Landeau.
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