As for “ zut alors,” it’s not exactly a curse word. In English we do the same thing (called a minced oath) with expressions like “Holy smokes!” or “Gosh darn!” French speakers will probably understand you if you use it, but it may not have the desired punch you’re looking for. This antiquated expression was a purposeful mispronunciation of “ sacré dieu” (holy God) used to avoid taking the Lord’s name in vain. Regarding these two, the popularity of sacrebleu is actually a misconception. If the first two French curses that pop into your mind are “ sacrebleu” and “ zut alors !,” there is a whole elaborate world of profanity for you to discover. With time, this phrase came to refer to anything uncouth or rude, due to the stereotype of the French as being less proper or less demure. The English and French have a rollercoaster history, and with that naturally come a slew of stereotypes and grievances of any two entities with prolonged contact. “Bless me, how fat you are grown! – absolutely as round as a ball – you will soon be as enbon-point (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major…” Here’s an example of this from The Lady’s magazine in 1830: The replaced English word was not necessarily profane, but perhaps felt more appropriate in French rather than English for more delicate topics. It was not uncommon (and rather fashionable for some time) for high society in England to know French, as it was the language of the judicial courts for several centuries after the invasion of the British Isles by the Normans in 1066, but it was not a given that a less educated person would understand. Historically, the phrase was used to apologize for using French on the occasion that the addressee didn’t understand French. In PG movies or primetime TV, the phrase can be cleverly used to make a non-swear insult seem more profane, thereby avoiding but alluding to a disallowed word. However, the usage of “Excuse my French” has an even more complicated history and is an interesting peek into the history of contact between the Anglophone and Francophone worlds.Įnglish speakers generally use “Excuse/Pardon my French” to regain a bit of class in a conversation by excusing their inappropriate comments and making it clear that their intention isn’t for the conversation to devolve into a profanity-ridden debate. If you enjoy learning French language and culture in context, check out French Today’s downloadable French audiobooks: French Today’s bilingual novels are recorded at different speeds and enunciation, and focus on today’s modern glided French pronunciation.Has the phrase “Pardon my French” (unequivocally followed by an English swear word) been puzzling you since you started learning French? Are these curse words all rooted in French? Or are the French known for being especially vulgar? It’s true that some curse words in English may have originated from French (“ pisser” just means to urinate and is not necessarily vulgar). Monsieur et Madame Ouzi ont un fils, comment s’appelle-t-il? (Jim Nastik: gymnastique) □ Click to Tweet French Pun 3 Jésus Hans Hubert Forme: “Je suis en super forme” (I’m full of energy) – you have to play a bit with the French pronunciation here!) French Pun 2 Monsieur et madame Nastik ont un fils, comment s’appelle-t-ilJim. Monsieur et madame Forme ont trois fils, comment s’appellent-ils? I suggest you first listen to the audio to see if you can get it, and only look at the transcript if need be. Please press play to listen to my audio recording of the puns in French. the child’s first name, with the last name already mentioned in the question. What is supposed to cause laughter here is the combination of the given answer, i.e. X have a son/daughter, what’s his/her name? “Monsieur et Madame X ont un fils/une fille, comment s’appelle-t-il/elle?”.While bearing similarities to “Knock knock” jokes in their use of puns as the basic feature, “Monsieur et Madame” French puns have their specific format: they all start with a question about what an imaginary couple might call their child(ren), based on their last name: 10 Recorded French Puns What are the “Monsieur et Madame” French Puns?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |