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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
Anglicism/gallicism
I've seen many books in libraries that deal with the topic of anglicisms and the general thrust of these books is how the anglicisms are polluting the native language. Invariably, the native language in question is French.
I don't understand why anglicisms are seen as a threat. Sometimes I feel that English inherently is "badly pronounced French" because there are so many words of French origin in English that have served to enrich our vocabulary. English would be much duller language if it had never been colored by French.
As to the argument that one should use the "proper" French word and not the anglicized one, I don't see why one can't have both. What invariably happens over time is that the word will develop a particular nuance and will give the language a new word with a slightly different meaning.
So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?
I don't understand why anglicisms are seen as a threat. Sometimes I feel that English inherently is "badly pronounced French" because there are so many words of French origin in English that have served to enrich our vocabulary. English would be much duller language if it had never been colored by French.
As to the argument that one should use the "proper" French word and not the anglicized one, I don't see why one can't have both. What invariably happens over time is that the word will develop a particular nuance and will give the language a new word with a slightly different meaning.
So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?
Top answer
[nq:1]I've seen many books in libraries that deal with the topic of anglicisms and the general thrust of these books ... meaning. [/nq] I don't do nearly as much angsting about anglicisms as I do about your use of "angst" as a verb.
- [nq:1]I've seen many books in libraries that deal with the topic of anglicisms and the general thrust of these books ...
- meaning.
- [/nq] I don't do nearly as much angsting about anglicisms as I do about your use of "angst" as a verb.
- Seriously though, I agree with you.
- German, basically.
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57 Answers
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[nq:1]I've seen many books in libraries that deal with the topic of anglicisms and the general thrust of these books ... meaning. So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?[/nq]
I don't do nearly as much angsting about anglicisms as I do about your use of "angst" as a verb.
Seriously though, I agree with you. Had th
I don't do nearly as much angsting about anglicisms as I do about your use of "angst" as a verb.
Seriously though, I agree with you. Had th
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I read in sci.lang.translation that retrosorter (Email Removed) wrote (in (Email Removed)) about 'anglicism/gallicism', on Fri, 6 May 2005:
[nq:1]So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?[/nq]
It's actually a very deep difference. English people borrow freely from any other language they come into contact with. You
[nq:1]So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?[/nq]
It's actually a very deep difference. English people borrow freely from any other language they come into contact with. You
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[nq:1]I've seen many books in libraries that deal with the topic of anglicisms and the general thrust of these books ... meaning. So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?[/nq]
Simply compare the importance of French as an international language in the 19th century, and in 2005, and you know why.
Simply compare the importance of French as an international language in the 19th century, and in 2005, and you know why.
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[nq:2]So my question is why do francophones angst so much about anglicisms when anglophones are so receptive to gallicisms?[/nq]
[nq:1]It's actually a very deep difference. English people borrow freely from any other language they come into contact with. You ... terms. French colonial policy, however, was to teach everyone to speak French. Not a bad thing, but a different thing.[/nq]
I thi
[nq:1]It's actually a very deep difference. English people borrow freely from any other language they come into contact with. You ... terms. French colonial policy, however, was to teach everyone to speak French. Not a bad thing, but a different thing.[/nq]
I thi
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I chose the term "angsting" deliberately to highlight the flexibilty of English. Sure, "angst" as a verb is not yet accepted by most dictionaries but I suspect it will be found as such within the next two decades because we accept in English that democracy which goes by the nmae of common usage will win the day
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I read in sci.lang.translation that eromlignod (Email Removed) wrote (in (Email Removed)) about 'anglicism/gallicism', on Fri, 6 May 2005:
[nq:1]Seriously though, I agree with you. Had the Normans not invaded in 1066, English would be...well...German, basically.[/nq]
Only very basically. Anglo-Saxon looks and sounds very different. There is a lot of Latin in modern English that didn't come
[nq:1]Seriously though, I agree with you. Had the Normans not invaded in 1066, English would be...well...German, basically.[/nq]
Only very basically. Anglo-Saxon looks and sounds very different. There is a lot of Latin in modern English that didn't come
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[nq:1]I think it goes deeper than that. The French resent the fact that English has replaced French as the dominant ... the rosbifs is bad enough,but it's also the language of the (in their eyes) unspeakable andbarbaric Americans. C'est la vie![/nq]
Well...
English words are often used by snubs who pretend some expressions are untranslatable where in fact they don't master their own langua
Well...
English words are often used by snubs who pretend some expressions are untranslatable where in fact they don't master their own langua
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I read in sci.lang.translation that Peter Twydell
(Email Removed) wrote (in (Email Removed)) about 'anglicism/gallicism', on Fri, 6 May 2005:
[nq:1]I think it goes deeper than that. The French resent the fact that English has replaced French as the dominant ... of the rosbifs is bad enough, but it's also the language of the (in their eyes) unspeakable and barbaric Americans.[/nq]
I sus
(Email Removed) wrote (in (Email Removed)) about 'anglicism/gallicism', on Fri, 6 May 2005:
[nq:1]I think it goes deeper than that. The French resent the fact that English has replaced French as the dominant ... of the rosbifs is bad enough, but it's also the language of the (in their eyes) unspeakable and barbaric Americans.[/nq]
I sus
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I read in sci.lang.translation that Lanarcam (Email Removed) wrote (in (Email Removed)) about 'anglicism/gallicism', on Fri, 6 May 2005:
[nq:1]I am not sure english people were particularly happy to see that their new rulers spoke french after William visited them some years ago;)[/nq]
Wasn't much of a worry to most people. More concerned with growing enough food.
Then later we had at
[nq:1]I am not sure english people were particularly happy to see that their new rulers spoke french after William visited them some years ago;)[/nq]
Wasn't much of a worry to most people. More concerned with growing enough food.
Then later we had at
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[nq:1]I suspect that only a very few French people hold that view to the extent of losing one wink of ... English purists are only allowed to write one letter to 'The Times' a month about the degradation of the language.[/nq]
I think that another factor is that French seems to be a more fascistic language. For example, if a new noun comes along in French, someone must ordain whether it is a bo
I think that another factor is that French seems to be a more fascistic language. For example, if a new noun comes along in French, someone must ordain whether it is a bo
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