| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Off topic: Russians imitating English Thread poster: Helmet80
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| Pardon my French | Jan 27, 2005 |
I have always understood this comment to mean: "The word I said just now may have sounded like an English swear word. But in fact it is French (foreign)" - although, of course, both parties in the conversation KNOW that in fact the word spoken was indeed a swear word in English.
It is a sort of half-hearted apology and at the same time an attempt to deflect attention, in the same way that a euphemism does, from the perceived crudeness expressed.
Why French? I suspect t... See more I have always understood this comment to mean: "The word I said just now may have sounded like an English swear word. But in fact it is French (foreign)" - although, of course, both parties in the conversation KNOW that in fact the word spoken was indeed a swear word in English.
It is a sort of half-hearted apology and at the same time an attempt to deflect attention, in the same way that a euphemism does, from the perceived crudeness expressed.
Why French? I suspect this is more to do with France's reputation for libertinism in England. It was presumably assumed that the French swore with greater abandon.... as indeed the Spanish certainly do. ▲ Collapse
| | | | NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 08:09
Member (2002)
French to English
+ ...
Moderator of this forum
...which means licentiousness (sic?) and one of our Ger-Fr translators has joined us in the howl about our language on the French forum, saying that we jokers have certainly contributed to the licentious reputation of the French
Perhaps that's what you are referring to, Berni.
In my 50/50 part of the world, some are unilingual, anglo or franc... See more ...which means licentiousness (sic?) and one of our Ger-Fr translators has joined us in the howl about our language on the French forum, saying that we jokers have certainly contributed to the licentious reputation of the French
Perhaps that's what you are referring to, Berni.
In my 50/50 part of the world, some are unilingual, anglo or franco, and some (fewer still, mind) unfortunately have no tolerance for the other. Hence you will hear a dyed-in-the-wool anglo loudly belch, only to follow his trumpet with the following ridiculous comment: 'pardon my French'. It's a puerile jab at the language that to them sounds like frogs croaking.
<
Needless to say, that boorish behaviour is not unilateral. The more time we take to learn, the freer we become!
I hope one day these behaviours die out, to become mere amusing tidbits for our children to learn in history class and wonder,'Why on earth would someone say something like that???'
Nancy ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mary Holihan 
United States
Local time: 08:09
Member (2010)
French to English
| It's russian to me | Jan 31, 2005 |
I have to agree with Levan that we should relax and take it lightly. As Samuel pointed out, it mostly means something one doesn't understand. At a bar I frequent, when one of the patrons has consumed too much (vodka or not), we always say s/he is speaking Russian. Babbling, slurring, etc.; in other words, we cannot understand what s/he is saying.
| | | | Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 15:09
Member (2004)
English to Russian
+ ...
| Just not PC. that's all | Feb 2, 2005 |
Mary Holihan wrote:
I have to agree with Levan that we should relax and take it lightly. As Samuel pointed out, it mostly means something one doesn't understand. At a bar I frequent, when one of the patrons has consumed too much (vodka or not), we always say s/he is speaking Russian. Babbling, slurring, etc.; in other words, we cannot understand what s/he is saying.
Dear Mary, I agree that we sometimes use such expressions, and drinking too much of vodka is probably a good excuse to speak Russian after that -- but, still, it's not PC, that's all. Especially at a language site.
"Speak nonsense" or "talk gibberish" is, I suppose, as good as those above. You may also mention Orcish, Dwarvish or Elvish (despite the latter is considered to be a pleasant-to-hear language) in the same effect.
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