Abundance of French words in Slavic languages
Few people realize that “metro”, “baggage”, “balance” and “politics” are native French words borrowed from other languages, the beautiful “veil” and “nuance” too. According to some data, about two thousand Gallicisms are used every day in the post-Soviet space. Items of clothing (knickers, cuffs, vest, pleated, overalls), military themes (dugout, patrol, trench), trading (advance, credit, kiosk and regime) and, of course. words associated with beauty (manicure, cologne, boa, pince-nez) are all Gallicisms.
Peak of popularity
French words first began to appear in the Russian language during the time of Peter the Great, and since the end of the eighteenth century they have significantly moved their native speech aside. French became the leading language of high society. All correspondence (especially love) was conducted exclusively in French, beautiful long tirades filled banquet halls and meeting rooms. At the court of Emperor Alexander III, it was considered shameful (bad manners) not to know the Frankish language; a person was immediately labeled as an ignoramus, so French teachers were in great demand.
The situation changed thanks to the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”, in which the author Alexander Sergeevich acted very subtly by writing a monologue-letter from Tatiana to Onegin in Russian (although he thought in French, being Russian, as historians say.) With this he returned the former glory of the native language.
Popular phrases in French right now
Come il faut translated from French means “as it should”, that is, something made comme il faut - made according to all the rules and wishes.
- C'est la vie! is a very famous phrase meaning “such is life.”
- Je tem - singer Lara Fabian brought worldwide fame to these words in the song of the same name “Je t'aime!” - I love you.
- Cherche la femme - also the well-known “look for a woman”
- A la ger, com a la ger - “in war, as in war.” Words from the song that Boyarsky sang in the popular film of all time, “The Three Musketeers.”
- Bon mo is a sharp word.
- Faison de parle is a way of speaking.
- Ki famm ve – die le ve – “what a woman wants, God wants.”
- Antr well sau di - it’s said between us.
Beautiful French words will diversify your speech
Recently, word tattoos have ceased to be only English and Japanese (as fashion dictated), but have increasingly begun to appear in French, some of them with interesting meanings.
- Toute la vie est la lutte - All life is a battle (or battle).
- A tout prix - At any cost.
- Forte et tendre – female version, sounds like “strong and gentle”.
- Une fleur rebelle – a daring, rebellious flower.
The French language is considered quite complex, with many nuances and details. To know it well, you need to painstakingly study for more than one year, but this is not necessary to use several popular and beautiful phrases. Two or three words inserted at the right time into a conversation will diversify your vocabulary and make speaking French emotional and lively.
Gallicisms
The French words used in the Russian language are called Gallicisms; they have firmly entered Russian-language conversation with a large number of words and derivatives from them, similar in meaning or, conversely, only in sound.
The pronunciation of French words differs from Slavic ones in the presence of throat and nasal sounds, for example, “an” and “on” are pronounced by passing the sound through the nasal cavity, and the sound “en” through the lower part of the front wall of the throat. This language is also characterized by an emphasis on the last syllable of a word and soft sibilant sounds, as in the words “brochure” and “jelly”. Another indicator of Gallicism is the presence in the word of the suffixes -azh, -ar, -ism (plume, massage, boudoir, monarchism). These subtleties alone make it clear how unique and diverse the state language of France is.
Language of love
Tête-à-tête (one-on-one meeting), rendezvous (date), vis-a-vis (opposite) - these are also words originating from France. Amor (love) is a beautiful French word that has excited the minds of lovers so many times. A stunning language of romance, tenderness and adoration, the melodic murmur of which will not leave any woman indifferent.
- mon amour (mon Cupid) - my love;
- (mon plaisir) – my pleasure;
- (mon cher) – my dear;
- c' est mon petit ami (se mon petit ami) - this is my little friend;
- same those ador - I adore you.
The classic “zhe tem” is used to denote strong, all-consuming love, and if you add “bian” to these words, the meaning will change: it will mean “I like you.”
The history of several words
The well-known word “marmalade” is a distorted version of “Marie est malade” - Marie is sick.
In the Middle Ages, the Scottish queen Mary Stuart suffered from seasickness during her travels and refused to eat. Her personal doctor prescribed her slices of peeled oranges, thickly sprinkled with sugar, and the French cook prepared quince decoctions to stimulate her appetite. If these two dishes were ordered in the kitchen, the courtiers would immediately whisper: “Marie is sick!” (mari e malad).
Shantrapa - a word meaning idle people, homeless children, also came from France. Children who did not have an ear for music and good vocal abilities were not accepted into the church choir as singers (“chantra pas” - does not sing), so they wandered around the streets, mischievous and having fun. They were asked: “Why are you idle?” In response: “Shatrapa.”
Podsofe - (chauffe - heating, heater) with the prefix under-, that is, heated, under the influence of heat, taken for “warming”. A beautiful French word, but the meaning is exactly the opposite.
By the way, why was the well-known old woman Shapoklyak called that? But this is a French name, and her handbag is also from there - a reticule. Shapo is translated as “hat”, and “klyak” is a blow with the palm, akin to a slap. The slap-folding hat is a folding top hat, just like the mischievous old lady wore.
Silhouette is the surname of the financial controller at the court of Louis the Fifteenth, who was famous for his craving for luxury and various expenses. The treasury was empty too quickly and, in order to rectify the situation, the king appointed the young incorruptible Etienne Silhouette to the post, who immediately banned all festivities, balls and feasts. Everything became gray and dull, and the fashion that arose at the same time for depicting the outline of an object of a dark color on a white background was in honor of the miser minister.
