voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir

[Seagull's Return]

All well and good, but since the Normans conquered Britain 1066-90 and the official language was French (Latin) for two centuries.

Why do we now spea English?

We speak a language comprising elements of the languages of the people that have turfed up here over the years; the most significant elements are from Old English (which used to be called Anglo-Saxon) and Norman French, although Scandinavians have contributed a bit, too. All languages assimilate elements of other languages they come into contact with to a greater or lesser extent, most notably with loan-words ("le weekend", for example, or ""typhoon").

What happened here was that after the Conquest the two major languages - those of the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans - merged over the centuries, despite their very different origins (one Germanic, and the other Romance, ie derived in the main from Latin); consequently we have a lot of words French people recognise, but others - and concepts of grammar - which are very alien to them. Must confuse the f*** out of them.

You can see a "ghost" of the development of English in the words for domestic animals (cows, sheep, pigs, etc) which come from an Old English source, and the words for their meat (beef, mutton, pork, etc) which come from a Norman French source - reflecting social divisions, I guess (the beaten Anglo-Saxons kept the animals, the victorious Normans ate them).

French was the language of the court for a long time, I believe, along with Latin as the "official" language of documentation and the church; however, that began to change in the early Middle Ages, and English (at that time Middle English, I think - it went from Old to Middle to Modern) became more and more used by the ruling classes (who were more often than not French or thereabouts by birth and culture but with lands in England as well as on the Continent) and not just the peasantry - presumably they learnt the local lingo in order to shout at the English toiling in their fields. By the time Chaucer started to write prose and poetry in English, the assimilation process was well underway - his language is a right mixture of the two.

All the best words in Modern English are, however, of Old English provenance, e.g. "f***" and "shit", etc...

Just read this to myself, and realised what a smartarse I am. I'll get my coat...

 

[Dandyman]

We speak a language comprising elements of the languages of the people that have turfed up here over the years; the most significant elements are from Old English (which used to be called Anglo-Saxon) and Norman French, although Scandinavians have contributed a bit, too. All languages assimilate elements of other languages they come into contact with to a greater or lesser extent, most notably with loan-words ("le weekend", for example, or ""typhoon").

What happened here was that after the Conquest the two major languages - those of the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans - merged over the centuries, despite their very different origins (one Germanic, and the other Romance, ie derived in the main from Latin); consequently we have a lot of words French people recognise, but others - and concepts of grammar - which are very alien to them. Must confuse the f*** out of them.

You can see a "ghost" of the development of English in the words for domestic animals (cows, sheep, pigs, etc) which come from an Old English source, and the words for their meat (beef, mutton, pork, etc) which come from a Norman French source - reflecting social divisions, I guess (the beaten Anglo-Saxons kept the animals, the victorious Normans ate them).

French was the language of the court for a long time, I believe, along with Latin as the "official" language of documentation and the church; however, that began to change in the early Middle Ages, and English (at that time Middle English, I think - it went from Old to Middle to Modern) became more and more used by the ruling classes (who were more often than not French or thereabouts by birth and culture but with lands in England as well as on the Continent) and not just the peasantry - presumably they learnt the local lingo in order to shout at the English toiling in their fields. By the time Chaucer started to write prose and poetry in English, the assimilation process was well underway - his language is a right mixture of the two.

All the best words in Modern English are, however, of Old English provenance, e.g. "f***" and "shit", etc...

Just read this to myself, and realised what a smartarse I am. I'll get my coat...

Not bad for a Jock.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Vous êtes merde, et vous savez que vous êtes.

 

[On the Left Wing]

Vas-y mollo!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Est-ce que votre petit ami,
Fait-il votre petit ami
Fait-il votre petit ami savent que vous êtes ici?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Une ville complètement des homosexuels
Vous êtes juste une ville complètement des homosexuels
Une ville complètement des homosexuels


:safeway2:

 

[On the Left Wing]

C'est quoi ce charabia que tu racontes ?

Elle est vachement bandante

 

[Storer68]

Vous ne chantez pas,
vous ne chanterez plus


nous pouvons vous voir partir furtivement dehors


emile heskey, est un branleur, est un branleur


petit pays en Belgique
vous êtes juste un petit pays en Belgique


êtes vous l'Ecosse dans le déguisement

vous ne ferez jamais la gare

vous avez pensé que vous aviez marqué, vous aviez tort, vous aviez tort


champions européens, vous avez un rire

 

[Simster]

Quand la boulle frappe le filet
ce n'est pas Trezeguet.
C'est Emile Heskey

 

[Gwylan]

Blimey, I left this morning with people griping about French articles within a thread. I come back and suddenly it's the Académie française with everyone a fluent French speaker (although I think it's "vous levez-vous si vous voulez Falmer" as se lever is reflexive and a batard is a type of bread, the word for bastard is "salaud").

Does this mean we're all European now?
Emile Heskey? Quel con!

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

zinedine zidane est un bastard tres grande

 

[Lord Bracknell]

... a batard is a type of bread, the word for bastard is "salaud".

Not according to my Harrap dictionary.

bâtard, a. & s. Bastard

salaud, s. P: Dirty dog; skunk


But it's an old dictionary. Maybe since it was published Brussels has issued some new Euro-directive to change things.

 

[Gwylan]

Not according to my Harrap dictionary.

bâtard, a. & s. Bastard

salaud, s. P: Dirty dog; skunk


But it's an old dictionary. Maybe since it was published Brussels has issued some new Euro-directive to change things.

I'd like to read the Euro-directive on swearing.

Salaud is the word I've always used for bastard (and it's the one that my dictionary has). Bâtard does mean bastard but isn't it the word for someone illegitimate? I think William the Conqueror is known as Guillaume le Bâtard in French, but I bow to your Lordship's knowledge.

It's definitely the name of a type of loaf though, it always makes me snigger when I go to a boulangerie.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Gwylan -

I don't think we have a difference of opinion about French. Maybe our problem is English?

When I sing "You dirty northern bastards", I have in mind the widespread problem of absentee fathers that characterises the upbringing of footballers who aspire to play for Hartlepool.

Which is why I translated the southern equivalent as "Bâtards méridionaux sales".

You are obviously thinking "dirty dogs", as mentioned by Mr Harrap in his fine dictionary - "Salauds méridionaux".

But ... Vous êtes gallois, et vous savez que vous êtes.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Don't call a bird a 'salope' or she'll slap you.

P-A-L-A-C-E
Monsieur Dowie a VD
Avec une nic nac paddy wack
Donne le chien un os
Crystal Palace va faire foutre

although that's probably completely wrong. Merde

 

[Gwylan]

Gwylan -

I don't think we have a difference of opinion about French. Maybe our problem is English?

When I sing "You dirty northern bastards", I have in mind the widespread problem of absentee fathers that characterises the upbringing of footballers who aspire to play for Hartlepool.
Which is why I translated the southern equivalent as "Bâtards méridionaux sales".

Nooooo, that's "Vous êtes les bourraux des singes"

But ... Vous êtes gallois, et vous savez que vous êtes.





Mrs Gwylan did point out when I was cheering loudly that we did have a magnet on the fridge that pointed out "every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I'm Welsh". But I pointed out that I was born in England and can be Welsh or English as the mood takes me.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Don't call a bird a 'salope' or she'll slap you.

As in

L'épice snob est une salope
Elle est vraiment une tarte
Et quand elle baise Beckham
Elle pense à Gary Hart


Note to Gwylan:-

This is not intended to start a discussion about the dark and light meanings of the verb baiser!

 

[Gwylan]

As in

L'épice snob est une salope
Elle est vraiment une tarte
Et quand elle baise Beckham
Elle pense à Gary Hart


Note to Gwylan:-

This is not intended to start a discussion about the dark and light meanings of the verb baiser!

Heaven forfend. I think we're all in agreement on that one.

 

[On the Left Wing]

Même en 2004, il y a toujours des baba cools

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

Ne me quitte pas