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SuperESL Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Forte

Can I use the word 'forte' in the following manner?

"The Germans were justly proud of their military forte "
"Japan's forte lay on the battlefield"
"The Iraqi extremists have resorted to asymmetrical operations to circumvent America's forte in regular warfare" ?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

It does not sound right to me. 'Forte' normally refers to a more specific skill. The forte of the German military in North Africa was their speed of attack.

— Mister Micawber

  • It does not sound right to me.
  • 'Forte' normally refers to a more specific skill.
  • The forte of the German military in North Africa was their speed of attack.
  • Japan's forte lay in their ability to endure against great odds.
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6 Answers
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It does not sound right to me. 'Forte' normally refers to a more specific skill.

The forte of the German military in North Africa was their speed of attack.
Japan's forte lay in their ability to endure against great odds.
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What about

"Japan's forte lay in regular warfare ]as opposed to asymmetrical warfare]?"

Or must forte refer specifically to certain abilities?

Thank you.
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Hi,

The whole idea of a country having a forte seems a little unnatural to me.
I think of the word as used about an individual person's greatest strength.

It is also often something slightly frivolous or lightweight.
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I was wondering if I could stretch the word's normal usage a bit and apply it to a country's strengths. It's not a huge leap in meaning.
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SuperESLI was wondering if I could stretch the word's normal usage a bit
In general, not really something a learner should try.
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