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 +[[Image:Salut monde by Guillaume Apollinaire.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"[[Salut monde]]" by [[Guillaume Apollinaire]]]][[Image:Charles Baudelaire.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Charles Baudelaire by Étienne Carjat]] (ca. [[1863]])]]
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-[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/{{PAGENAMEE}}] [Apr 2007]+'''French''' (''français'', is a [[Romance languages|Romance language]] spoken originally in [[France]], [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Switzerland]], and today by about 300 million people around the world as a [[First language|mother tongue]] or [[second language]], with significant populations in 54 countries.
-Here are some examples of '''French words and phrases used by English speakers'''.+==History==
 +French is a [[Romance language]] (meaning that it is descended primarily from [[Vulgar Latin]]) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France.
-There are many [[List of English words of French origin|words of French origin in English]], such as ''art'', ''collage'', ''competition'', ''force'', ''machine'', ''police'', ''publicity'', ''role'', ''routine'', ''table'', and many others which have been and are being anglicized. They are now pronounced according to [[English language|English]] rules of [[orthography]], rather than [[French language|French]]. Approximately 40% of English vocabulary is of French or [[Oïl language]] origin, most derived from, or transmitted by, the [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman]] spoken by the [[upper class]]es in [[England]] for several hundred years after the [[Norman Conquest]], before the language settled into what became [[Modern English]].+French was the most important language of [[diplomacy]] and [[international relations]] from the 17th century to approximately the middle of the 20th century. English has now [[International English|taken over]] that role, following the [[Second World War]] as the [[US became the dominant global power]].
 +==French literature==
 +:''[[French literature]]''
 +'''French literature''' is, generally speaking, [[literature]] written in the [[French language]], particularly by citizens of [[France]]. For literature written in French by citizens of other [[Francophone]] nations see [[Francophone literature]].
-This article, however, covers words and phrases that generally entered the lexicon later, as through literature, the arts, diplomacy, and other cultural exchanges not involving conquests. As such, they have not lost their character as Gallicisms, or words that seem unmistakably foreign and "French" to an English-speaking person. +During the 20th century, France was more [[permissive]] than other countries in terms of censorship, and many important foreign language novels were originally published in France while being banned in America: [[Joyce]]'s ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' (published by Sylvia Beach in Paris, 1922), Vladimir Nabokov's ''[[Lolita]]'' and William S. Burroughs's ''[[Naked Lunch]]'' (both published by Olympia Press), and Henry Miller's ''[[Tropic of Cancer]]'' (published by Obelisk Press). Additionally, Paris has been the home-in-exile to two American literary movements: the [[lost generation]] and the [[beat generation]].
-That said, the phrases are given as used in English, and may seem correct modern French to English speakers, but may not be recognised as such by French speakers as many of them are now defunct or have a different meaning due to semantic evolution. A general rule is that if the word or phrase retains French [[diacritic]]s or looks better in italics, it has retained its French identity.+== See also ==
- +*[[French words and phrases used by English speakers]]
-<!--BEGIN OUTLINE--> +*[[French culture]]
-<center>+*[[French literature]]
-{| border="0" class="toccolours"+{{GFDL}}
-|-+
-! {{MediaWiki:Toc}}+
-|-+
-| align="center" |+
-[[#A|A]] [[#B|B]] [[#C|C]] [[#D|D]] [[#E|E]] [[#F|F]] [[#G|G]] [[#H|H]] [[#I|I]] [[#J|J]] [[#K|K]] [[#L|L]] [[#M|M]] [[#N|N]] [[#O|O]] [[#P|P]] [[#Q|Q]] [[#R|R]] [[#S|S]] [[#T|T]] [[#U|U]] [[#V|V]] [[#W - X - Y - Z|W]] [[#W - X - Y - Z|X]] [[#W - X - Y - Z|Y]] [[#W - X - Y - Z|Z]] __NOTOC__+
- +
-[[#Only found in English|Only found in English]] &mdash; [[#French phrases in international air-sea rescue|French phrases in international air-sea rescue]] &mdash; [[#See also|See also]] &mdash; [[#References|References]]+
-|}+
-</center>+
-<!--END OUTLINE-->+
-== Words and phrase ==+
-== A ==+
-; [[wikt:à gogo|à gogo]] : in abundance+
-; [[wikt:à la|à la [...]]] : in the manner of [...]+
-; [[à la carte]] : ''on the card''; (in restaurants refers to ordering individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal)+
-; [[à la mode]] : fashionable; also, with ice cream (in the U.S.) +
-; [[wikt:accouchement|accouchement]] : confinement during childbirth; the process of having a baby; only this last meaning remains in French+
-; [[wikt:adieu|adieu]] : farewell; as it literally means "to God," it carries more weight than "au revoir" (it is definitive, you won't see the other person alive). Depending of the context, misuse of this term can be considered as an insult, as you'll wish for the other person's death or will say that you don't wish to see the other person ever again while alive +
-; [[wikt:adroit|adroit]] : skillful, clever, in French: ''habile'', as a "right handed" person would be using his "right" hand, as opposed to his left one with which he would be "gauche" meaning "left".+
-; [[agent provocateur]] : a police spy who infiltrates a group to disrupt or discredit it.+
-; [[aide-de-camp]] : a military assistant+
-; [[wikt:aide-mémoire|aide-mémoire]] : a position paper; a diplomatic agenda+
-; [[amuse bouche]] : an appetizer; lit. ''mouth pleaser'', ''amuse gueule'' in modern French.+
-; [[ancien régime]] : a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letter in French with this meaning : Ancien Régime)+
-; [[wikt:aperçu|aperçu]] : a first impression; initial insight+
-; [[apéritif]] : a before-meal drink+
-; [[appliqué]] : an inlaid or attached decorative feature+
-; après moi, le déluge : the remark attributed to [[Louis XV]] of France; used in reference to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution. (''After me, the [[Deluge (mythology)|deluge]].'') +
-; [[après-ski]] : '' after skiing'' socializing after a ski session; in modern French, this word refers to boots used to walk in snow typically (MoonBoots<sup>TM</sup>)usually worn after a ski session+
-; [[arête]] : a narrow ridge+
-; [[wikt:armoire|armoire]] : a type of cabinet; wardrobe+
-; [[wikt:artiste|artiste]] : a skilled performer, a person with artistic pretensions+
-; [[art nouveau]] : a style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (usually bears capitals in French : Art Nouveau)+
-; [[attaché]] : a person attached to an embassy; in French is also the past participle of the verb ''attacher'' (=to fasten)+
-; [[wikt:au contraire|au contraire]] : ''to the contrary''+
-; [[wikt:au courant|au courant]] : up-to-date; abreast of current affairs+
-; [[wikt:au jus|au jus]] : literally, ''with juice'', referring to a food course served with sauce. Often redundantly formulated, as in 'Open-faced steak sandwich, served with au jus.' In modern French, although 'jus' can refer to juice produced by meat during cooking, ''se mettre au jus'' (to put oneself au jus) is also a colloquial expression used to call someone to try something (jump into water at a pool, try a new recipe...)+
-; [[wikt:au naturel|au naturel]] : nude; literally, it is the contraction of ''à le'' (same as ''à la'') ''naturel'' (in a natural manner)+
-; [[au pair]] : a young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room and board+
-; [[wikt:au revoir|au revoir]]! : "See you soon!"; lit. ''Until the next sight.'' In French contraction of ''Au plaisir de vous revoir'' (=to the pleasure of seeing you again).+
-; [[avant-garde]] : applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art, music and literature; figuratively "on the edge", literally, a military term, meaning "vanguard" (which is the deformation of avant-guarde) or "advance guard", in other words, "first to attack" (plural ''avant-gardes''; antonym of ''arrière-garde'').+
-; [[avant la lettre]] : used to describe something or someone seen as a precursor or forerunner of something (such as an artistic or political movement) before that something was recognized and named, e.g. "a post-modernist avant la lettre", "a feminist avant la lettre"; the expression literally means ''before the letter'', i.e. "before it had a name".+
- +
-== B ==+
-; [[wikt:beaucoup|beaucoup]] : a lot of (slang, such as, "''beaucoup'' bucks")+
-; [[belle]] : a beautiful woman or girl. Common uses of this word are in the phrases ''the belle of the ball'' (the most beautiful woman or girl present at a function) and ''[[southern belle]]'' (a beautiful woman from the southern states of the US)+
-; [[bête noire]] : a scary or unpopular person, idea, or thing, or the archetypical scary monster in a story; literally "black beast".+
-; [[wikt:billet-doux|billet doux]] : a love letter, literally "sweet letter" (plural ''billets doux''). +
-;'''blasé''' : nonchalant or uninterested; literally cloyed or chronically hung over (''blasée'' for a woman).+
-;'''blond/e''' : this is not the only foreign word in everyday use in the English language that also differs in gender &mdash; 'blond' is masculine, 'blonde' is feminine.+
-;'''bon appétit!''' : enjoy your meal; literally "good appetite". There is no native equivalent English phrase.+
-;'''bon voyage!''' : have a good trip!+
-;'''brunette''' : a brown-haired girl. For brown-haired boy or man, French uses ''brun'' and for a woman ''brune''+
-;'''[[bureau de change]]''' : a currency exchange (plural ''bureaux de change'').+
- +
-== C ==+
-; cachet : a distinctive quality+
-; café : a snack (U.K.), a coffee shop (U.S); literally ''coffee'' or a place where you can drink coffee +
-; café au lait : coffee with milk; or a light-brown color+
-; cap-à-pied : from head to foot; modern French uses ''de pied en cap''+
-; [[carte blanche]] : unlimited authority; literally "white card" (i.e. a card where you can write down whatever you like)+
-; carte d'identité : identity card+
-; [[cause célèbre]] : a controversial issue, such as a legal case, which divides public opinion+
-; c'est la mode. : "Such is fashion" +
-; [[c'est la vie]]! : "That's life!"; or "Such is life!"+
-; c'est magnifique! : "That's great!"; literally ''it's magnificent''+
-; [[chaise longue]] : a long chair for reclining; (also rendered ''chaise lounge'' via [[folk etymology]])+
-; chanson : a song+
-; chanteuse : a female singer+
-; chapeau : a hat+
-; [[chargé d'affaires]] : a temporary or low-level diplomat; also used in French in the business world : refers to someone in charge of some business+
-; châteaux en Espagne : literally "castles in Spain"; something that exists only in the imagination (as, "castles in the air" or "[[pie in the sky]]")+
-; [[masterpiece|chef d'œuvre]] : a masterpiece+
-; [[cherchez la femme]]. : literally "Look for the woman." (expressing the notion that behind a man’s unusual behavior may be his trying to impress a woman or to cover up an affair)+
-; chevalier d'industrie : one who lives by his wits, specially by swindling, literally "knight of industry"; +
-; chez : the home of+
-; chic : stylish+
-; [[chignon (hairstyle)|chignon]] : a hairstyle worn in a roll at the nape of the neck+
-; [[cinéma vérité]] : realism in documentary filmmaking+
-; [[claque]] : a group of admirers; in French = ''a slap''+
-; [[cliché]] : trite through overuse; a stereotype+
-; [[clique]] : a small exclusive group of friends; often used in a pejorative way in French+
-; coquette : a flirtatious girl; a tease+
-; [[commandant]] : a commanding officer+
-; comme il faut : as is proper; literally ''as it should be''+
-; comme ci comme ça : so-so; literally ''as this, as that''+
-; communiqué : an official communication+
-; [[concierge]] : a hotel desk manager (in French also refers to the caretaker of a building usually living at the front floor ; ''concierges'' have a reputation for gossiping) +
-; [[concordat]] : an agreement; a treaty; when used with capital letters in French refers to a treaty between the French State and Judaeo-Christian religions during the French Empire (Napoleon) : priests, ministers and rabbis became civil servants. This treaty was abbolished in 1905 (Church-State separation) but is still in use in Alsace-Lorraine (those territories were under German administration during 1871–1918)+
-; confrère : a colleague+
-; congé : a departure; in French when used in the plural form refers to ''vacations''+
-; [[connoisseur]] : an expert in wines, fine arts, or other matters of culture; a person of refined taste; (spelt ''conn'''a'''isseur'' in modern French)+
-; conte : a short story; in French a ''conte'' has usually a fantasy context (such as in fairytales)+
-; contretemps : an awkward clash; a delay+
-; [[cordon sanitaire]] : a policy of [[containment]] directed against a hostile entity or ideology; a chain of [[buffer states]]; lit. "quarantine line"+
-; [[corduroy]] : a material used in clothing, derives from French "corde du roi"; lit. "cloth of kings"+
-; cortège : a funeral procession; in French has a broader meaning and refers to all kinds of procession+
-; [[corvée]] : forced labor for minimal or no pay+
-; [[Coat of arms|cotte d'armes]] : coat of arms+
-; coup de foudre : a sudden unforeseen event (in French, "thunderbolt": love at first sight)+
-; [[coup de grâce]] : the final blow that results in victory (literally "blow of mercy"), historically used in the context of the battlefield, now more often used in other contexts (e.g. the defense's production of a particular piece of evidence in court that destroys the prosecution's case).+
-; [[coup de main]] : a surprise attack (usually means to give assistance in French: ''donner un coup de main'' is "to give a hand", even if the English meaning exists as well but is old-fashionned)+
-; [[coup d'état|coup d'État]] : a sudden change in government by force; literally "hit (blow) of state" (note the capital E in French, not used in English)+
-; coup d'œil : a glance, literally "a blow (or touch) of the eye"+
-; [[couture]] : fashion+
-; couturier : a fashion designer+
-; [[crèche]] : a [[nativity]] display; more commonly (in UK), a place where children are left by their parents for short periods in the supervision of childminders; both meanings still exist in French+
-; [[crème brûlée]] : a dessert consisting primarily of custard and toasted sugar, that is, [[caramel]]; literally "burnt cream"+
-; crème de la crème : best of the best; literally "cream of the cream", used to describe highly skilled people+
-; [[crème fraîche]] : literally "fresh cream", a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream+
-; [[crêpe]] : a thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessert+
-; cri du cœur : a passionate plea, literally "cry of the heart"+
-; [[cul-de-sac]] : a dead-end (residential) street; literally "bottom (buttocks) of the bag"+
- +
-== D ==+
-; déclassé : of inferior social status+
-; [[Interior decoration|décor]] : the layout and furnishing of a room+
-; [[découpage]] : decoration with cut paper+
-; [[dépanneur]] : a neighborhood general/convenience store, term used in eastern Canada+
-; [[déjà vu]] : an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before. Literally "already seen".+
-; déjà entendu : already heard+
-; déjà lu : already read+
-; [[Demarche|démarche]] : a decisive step+
-; [[demimonde]] : a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture, from ''demi mondaine'' in the XIX century, not used in France+
-; [[dénouement]] : the end result+
-; de nouveau : again; anew+
-; [[Derailleur gears|dérailleur]] : a bicycle gear-shift mechanism+
-; de règle : according to custom; +
-; [[de rigueur]] : required or expected, especially with reference to fashion+
-; dernier cri : the latest fashion+
-; derrière : rear; buttocks; literally "behind"+
-; déshabillé : partially clad+
-; [[détente]] : easing of diplomatic tension+
-; de trop : excessive+
-; diablerie : witchcraft, deviltry+
-; divertissement : an amusing diversion; entertainment+
-; dossier : a file containing detailed information about a person; it has a much wider meaning in modern French, as any type of file, or even a computer directory+
-; double entendre : something which can be interpreted in two ways, both of which make sense in the context used. One is often sexual (now defunct in French)+
-; douceur de vivre : "sweetness of life"+
-; [[Wiktionary:doyenne|doyenne]] : the senior female member of a group;+
-; [[dressage]] : a form of competitive horse training+
-; [[droit du seigneur]] : the purported right of a lord of an estate to deflower a woman on her wedding night in precedence to her new husband; literally the "right of the lord" (also called "droit de cuissage" in modern French)+
-; du jour : said of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; today's choice on the menu, as soup du jour, literally "of the day"+
- +
-demander - to ask+
- +
-== E ==+
-; [[Perfume|eau de toilette]] : perfume+
-; élan : a distinctive flair+
-; [[émigré]] : one who has emigrated for political reasons; the political reason is not implied in the French use of the word+
-; [[L'éminence grise|éminence grise]] : a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or otherwise unofficially; literally "gray eminence"+
-; [[enfant terrible]] : a disruptively unconventional person, a "terrible child"+
-; en bloc : as a group+
-; en masse : all together+
-; [[ennui]] : boredom+
-; en passant : in passing+
-; en route : on the way+
-; en suite : as a set (do not confuse with "ensuite", meaning "then")+
-; [[entente]] : diplomatic agreement or cooperation+
-; entre nous : confidentially; literally "between us"+
-; [[entrée]] : literally "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English) +
-; [[entremets]] : desserts/sweet dishes. More literally, a side dish that can be served between the courses of a meal+
-; [[entrepreneur]] : a person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks+
-; [[escargots]] : snails (as food)+
-; [[escritoire]] : a writing table (spelt ''écritoire'' in French) +
-; [[esprit de corps]] : a feeling of solidarity among members of a group; morale; literally "spirit of the body (of troops)"+
-; [[étude]] : a musical composition designed to provide practice in a particular technical skill in the performance of an instrument. French for "study". +
-; [[Exposé (journalism)|exposé]] : a published exposure of a fraud or scandal; in French refers to a talk or a report on all kinds of subject+
-; extraordinaire : extraordinary, usually as a following adjective, as "musician extraordinaire"+
- +
-== F ==+
-; [[façade]] : the front view of an edifice (the ''ç'' is pronounced like a ''s'')+
-; fait accompli : something that has happened and is unlikely to be reversed+
-; faute de mieux : for want of better+
-; [[faux]] : fake+
-; [[faux amis]] : literally "false friends"; used to refer to words in two different languages that have the same or similar spelling, and often the same [[etymology]] but different meanings, such as the French verb ''rester'' which means "to stay" rather than "to rest"+
-; [[faux pas]] : a social blunder, or "false step"+
-; [[femme fatale]] : an alluring, mysterious woman; the term implies a fatal ending to meeting and frequenting such a woman+
-; fiancé/e : a man engaged to be married/a woman engaged to be married; literally betrothed+
-; [[film noir]] : a genre of dark-themed movies+
-; fils : used after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father, as George Bush ''fils'' (in, French "fils" = ''son'')+
-; [[fin de siècle]] : comparable to (but not exactly the same as) [[turn-of-the-century]] but with a connotation of decadence, usually applied to the period from 1890 through 1910. +
-; flambeau : a lighted torch+
-; [[flâneur]] : a gentleman stroller of city streets+
-; [[fleur-de-lis]] : a stylized-flower heraldic device; the golden ''fleur-de-lis'' on an azure background were the arms of the French Kingdom+
-; [[folie à deux]] : a simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people, often said of an unsuitable romance+
-; [[force majeure]] : an overpowering event, an act of God+
-; [[forte]] : a strength, a strong point, typically of a person, from the French ''fort'' or strong. +
- +
-According to Merriam Webster Dictionary,"In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English."+
- +
-== G ==+
-; gaffe : blunder+
-; garçon : literally "boy" or "male servant"; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male [[waiter]]; (has a playful connotation in English but can be rather insulting in French)+
-; gauche : tactless, literally "left handed"+
-; gaucherie : boorishness+
-; [[genre]] : a type or class, such as "the [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]] genre"+
-; [[glissade]] : slide down a slope+
-; [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] : a type of motor racing, literally "Grand Prize"+
-; [[Grand Guignol]] : a [[horror film|horror]] show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (''Guignol'' can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that ''clown'' might be used in English.)+
- +
-== H ==+
-; habitué : one who regularly frequents a place+
-; [[haute couture]] : trend-setting fashion+
-; [[haute cuisine]] : a manner of preparing food; literally "upper kitchen".+
-; [[Classical dressage|haute école]] : advanced horsemanship; literally "upper school"+
-; hauteur : arrogance; lit. ''height''+
-; haut monde : fashionable society, the "upper world"+
-; [[Honi soit qui mal y pense]]. : "Shame on him who thinks ill of it"; or sometimes translated as ''Evil be to him who evil thinks''; the motto of the most noble [[Order of the Garter]] (modern French writes ''honni'' instead of Old French ''honi'')+
-; [[hors de combat]] : out of the fight+
-; hors-concours : "out of the running"; used to describe someone who is a non-competitor, especially in love (not restricted to love in modern French)+
-; [[hors d'œuvre]] : appetizer+
-; [[huis-clos]] : the ''huis clos'' is a term which indicates an enclosed space such as a room or cell.+
- +
-== I ==+
-; [[idée fixe]] : a [[leitmotiv]]; an obsession+
-; insouciant/e : a nonchalant man/woman+
-; [[Ingenue (stock character)|ingénu/e]] : an innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical [[stock character]]+
- +
-== J ==+
-; J’accuse : ''I accuse.''; used generally in reference to a political or social indictment (alluding to the title of [[Émile Zola]]’s exposé of the [[Dreyfus affair]])+
-; J'adore : literally, I adore. Implies "Je t'adore", translated as "I love you", or possibly ''I adore you''.+
-; J'adoube : In [[chess]], an expression said discreetly signaling an intention to straighten out the pieces, without being committed to moving or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules. lit. "I adjust". From the French verb ''adouber'', to dub (the action of knighting someone)+
-; Je ne sais pas: ''I don't know''+
-; Je-ne-sais-quoi : an indefinable, usually compelling quality ([[charisma]]); lit. ''I don't know what''+
-; joie de vivre : joy of living+
-'''je m'appelle ...'''+
-my name is ...+
- +
-== K ==+
-== L ==+
-; l'affaire [proper name] : a cause célèbre, such as "l’affaire Enron", an allusion to [[Dreyfus affair|L’Affaire Dreyfus]]+
-; [[laissez-faire]] : a policy of minimal interference, usu. in reference to government regulation of commerce+
-; Laissez les bons temps rouler. : "Let the good times roll." (strongly associated with [[Cajun]] and [[New Orleans]] culture and not commonly used by Francophones outside of [[Louisiana]])+
-; [[Lamé]] : is a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns.+
-; [[layette]] : a set of clothing and accessories for a new baby+
-; [[The little death|la petite mort]] : an [[orgasm]]; literally "the little death"+
-; [[l'esprit de l'escalier]] : thinking of the right comeback too late; literally "staircase wit"; (originally a witticism of [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]], the French [[encyclopedist]], in his ''Paradoxe sur le Comédien'')+
-; L'État, c'est moi. : the remark attributed to [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] ("I am the state"); also used generally in reference to the overweening ego of an absolute ruler+
-; liaison : a close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader; "liaison" also means ''bond'' such as in ''une liaison chimique'' = " a chemical bond"+
-; [[Liberté, égalité, fraternité|Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité]] :"Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood"; (motto of the French Republic)+
-; [[littérateur]] : an intellectual; (pejorative in French)+
-; louche : of questionable taste; shady+
- +
-== M ==+
-; [[macramé]] : coarse lace work made with knotted cords+
-; maison : house+
-; [[maître d']] : short for maître d'hotel, headwaiter. (French never uses "d'" alone, as "d'" only means "of" (litt :master of hotel)).+
-; [[malaise]] : a general sense of depression or unease+
-; [[motion sickness|mal de mer]] : motion sickness, literally "seasickness"+
-; [[Mardi Gras]] : Fat Tuesday, the last day of eating meat before [[Lent]]+
-; [[marque]] : a model or brand+
-; [[matériel]] : supplies and equipment, particularly in a military context (French meaning is broader and corresponds more to "hardware")+
-; mélange : a mixture+
-; [[mêlée]] : a confused fight; a struggling crowd+
-; [[ménage à trois]] : a sexual arrangement between three people; literally "household for three"; (not typically used if all three are of the same sex)+
-; Merci beaucoup! : "Thank you very much!"+
-; Merde : "crap" (literally means "shit")+
-; métier : a field of work or other activity; usually one in which one has special ability or training+
-; [[social environment|milieu]] : social environment; setting+
-; [[mirepoix (cuisine)|mirepoix]] : a cooking mixture of two parts onions and one part each of celery and carrots+
-; [[mise en place]] : a food assembly station in a commercial kitchen+
-; [[mise en scène]] : staging of sets, props, actors, etc. in theater and film+
-; moi : "me"; often used in English as an ironic reply to an accusation; for example, "Pretentious? ''Moi?''"+
-; moi aussi : "me too", used to show agreeing with someone+
-; [[montage]] : a blending of pictures, scenes, or sounds+
-; [[wikt:motif|motif]] : a recurrent thematic element+
-; [[mousse]] : a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam; in modern French, any kind of foam+
- +
-== N ==+
-; [[Naïveté|naïve]] : lacking experience, understanding or sophistication+
-; né : masculine form of ''née'', "born"+
-; [[née]] : used to indicate a woman’s birth name or [[maiden name]], such as, "Martha Washington, ''née'' Martha Custis"; "born"+
-; [[negligee]] : (Negligée) A robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women.+
-; N'est-ce pas? : ''Isn't it?''; asked rhetorically after a statement, as in "Right?"+
-; [[noblesse oblige]] : honorable behavior expected of high rank+
-; [[Pseudonym|nom de guerre]] : pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally "war name", used in France for "pseudonym"+
-; [[Pen name|nom de plume]] : author's pseudonym, literally "pen name". Originally an English phrase, now also used in France+
-; nouveau : newfangled+
-; [[nouveau riche]] : newly rich+
-; [[nouvelle cuisine]] : new cuisine+
- +
-== O ==+
-; objet d'art : a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture+
-; œuvre : "work", in the sense of an artist's work; by extension, an artist's entire body of work+
- +
-== P ==+
-; [[panache]] : verve; flamboyance+
-; [[papier-mâché]] : a craft medium using paper and paste; literally "chewed paper"+
-; par excellence : quintessential; literally "by excellence"+
-; [[pas de deux]] : a close relationship between two people; a duet in ballet+
-; [[pas de trois]] : a dance for three, usually in ballet.+
-; passé : out of fashion+
-; [[pastiche]] : a derivative work; an imitation+
-; [[patois]] : a dialect; jargon+
-; [[peignoir]] : a woman’s dressing gown; a negligee (in French, also a [[robe|bathrobe]])+
-; père : used after a man's surname to distinguish a father from a son, as in "George Bush ''père''."+
-; petite : small; waiflike; skinny; lit. ''small''+
-; [[pièce de résistance]] : the best; the main meal, literally "the one that resists"+
-; pièce d'occasion : ''occasional piece''; item written or composed for a special occasion+
-; [[Pied a terre|pied-à-terre]] : a second home, usually an [[apartment]] in the city+
-; plat de résistance : the main dish of a meal; literally dish of resistance:+
-; plat du jour : a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but which is not part of the regular menu; literally "dish of the day"+
-; plus ça change : The more things change, the more they stay the same. (from ''Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,'' or ''Plus ça change, plus c’est pareil.'')+
-; [[potpourri|pot-pourri]] : medley, mélange, mixture; literally ''rotten pot''+
-; pour encourager les autres : to encourage the others, from [[Voltaire]] ([[Candide]]) [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1469618]+
-; précis : a concise summary+
-; [[Portmanteau (suitcase)|portmanteau]] : a large suitcase, literally "carry coat". Doesn't exist anymore in French, but there is ''portemanteau'' (plural ''portemanteaux''), which means a hat stand, a coat rack or a coathanger.+
-; [[poseur]] : a person who pretends to be something he is not; a phony; a poser+
-; [[prêt-à-porter]] : ready-to-wear clothing+
-; [[Table d'hôte|prix fixe]] : a fixed price meal, sometimes with choices+
-; [[Mentoring|protégé]] : one who receives support from an influential patron+
-; [[Polemic|provocateur]] : a polemicist+
- +
-== Q ==+
-; Quel [[wikt:dommage|dommage]]! : "What a pity!"+
-; Quelle [[wikt:horreur|horreur]]! : ''What a horrible thing!'' (often used sarcastically)+
-; [[wikt:Qu'est-ce que c'est|Qu'est-ce que c'est]]? : "What is this?"+
- +
-== R ==+
-; [[raconteur]] : a conversationalist+
-; [[wikt:raison d'être|raison d'être]] : justification for existence; "reason for being"+
-; [[rapport]] : to be in someone's "good graces"; to be in synch with someone; "I've developed a rapport with my co-workers"; French for: relationship+
-; [[rapprochement]] : the establishment of cordial relations, often used in [[diplomacy]]+
-; [[wikt:recherché|recherché]] : obscure; pretentious. (usually used in French for ''sophisticated'' or ''delicate'')+
-; [[résumé]] : in [[North American English]], a document listing one's qualifications for employment (in French, any kind of summary)+
-; [[rendezvous]] : a meeting, appointment, or date; (usually written ''rendez-vous'' in French and sometimes in English)+
-; [[wikt:repartee|repartee]] : clever banter+
-; [[repertoire]] : the range of skills of a particular person or group+
-; [[reportage]] : reporting; journalism+
-; [[ressentiment]] : a deep-seated sense of aggrievement and powerlessness+
-; [[wikt:restaurateur|restaurateur]] : a restaurant owner+
-; [[wikt:risqué|risqué]] : sexually suggestive; (in French, the meaning of ''risqué'' is "risky", with no sexual connotation)+
-; [[roman à clef]] : a fictional account of a true story; literally "novel with a key"+
-; [[wikt:roué|roué]] : a [[Hedonism|hedonist]], "cunning devil"+
-; [[roux]] : a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a base in soups and gravies+
- +
-== S ==+
-; [[sabotage]] : subversive destruction, from the practice of workers fearful of [[industrialization]] destroying machines by tossing their ''sabots'' ("wooden shoes") into machinery+
-; [[sabotage|saboteur]] : one who commits sabotage+
-; [[Sacrebleu|Sacrebleu/Sacré bleu]]! : general exclamation of horror and shock; literally "holy blue", blue being the deformation of ''Dieu'' (God). Always contracted and unaccented: ''sacrebleu'' (no longer current in French)+
-; [[Sangfroid|sang-froid]] : great coolness and composure under strain; literally "cold blood"+
-; [[wikt:sans|sans]] : without+
-; [[sans-culottes]] : an extremist, literally "without pants", name the insurgent crowd in the streets of Paris gave to itself during the French Revolution. It is a way to shake off the monarchy because they usually wore pantaloons (full-length pants or trousers) instead of the chic knee-length culotte of the nobles.+
-; [[savant]] : a wise or learned person; in English referring to an exceptionally gifted individual+
-; [[savoir-faire]] : social grace; means know-how in French.+
-; [[wikt:savoir-vivre|savoir-vivre]] : etiquette+
-; [[wikt:s'il vous plaît|s'il vous plaît]] : please; literally "if it pleases you", "if you please"+
-; si vous préférez : "if you prefer"+
-; [[sobriquet]] : an assumed name, a nickname+
-; [[wikt:soi-disant|soi-disant]] : so-called; self-described; literally "oneself saying"+
-; [[wikt:soigné|soigné]] : fashionable; polished+
-; [[wikt:soirée|soirée]] : an evening party+
-; [[wikt:soupçon|soupçon]] : a very small amount (In French, can also mean ''suspicion'')+
-; [[soupe du jour]] : "soup of the day", meaning the particular kind of soup offered that day+
-; succès d’estime : a "success in the estimation of others", sometimes used pejoratively+
- +
-== T ==+
-; [[table d'hôte]] : a full-course meal offered at a fixed price+
-; [[tableau vivant]] : in drama, a scene in which actors remain still as if in a picture+
-; tant mieux : so much the better+
-; tête-à-tête : a private meeting; literally "head-to-head"+
-; toilette : the process of dressing or grooming+
-; [[touché]] : acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint; literally "touched" or "hit!"+
-; tour de force : a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment; literally "feat of strength"+
-; très : very (often ironically)+
-; [[trompe l'œil]] : photograph-like realism in painting; literally "trick the eye"+
- +
-== U ==+
-== V ==+
-; [[Wiktionary|venue]] : invited person for a show, once ("come"); unused in modern French+
-; [[Vignette (literature)|vignette]] : a brief description; a short scene (in French, a small picture)+
-; [[vinaigrette]] : salad dressing of [[Vegetable oil|oil]] and [[vinegar]]; diminutive of ''vinaigre'' (vinegar)+
-; [[vis-à-vis]] : in comparison with or in relation to; also "opposite number", literally "face-to-face"+
-; [[Vive, Viva|Vive]]! : "Long live ...!"; literally "Live"; as in ''"Vive la France!"'', ''“[[French Resistance|Vive la Résistance!]]”'', ''"[[Vive le Canada]]!"'', or ''"[[Vive le Québec libre]]!"''+
-; Vive la différence. : ''Long live the difference.'' (generally referring to difference between male and female)+
-; Voilà! or Et voilà! : "There you go!" or "And there you have it!"+
-; [[volte-face]] : a complete reversal of opinion or position, about face+
-; [[Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?|Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?]] : "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)? " (quite rude in modern French as it has no cultural background and is just a rude move)+
-; [[Voyeurism|voyeur]] : a peeping tom+
- +
-== W - X - Y - Z ==+
-; Zut alors! : "Darn it!", a general exclamation. Like ''Sacre bleu'', this is considered old-fashioned by modern French speakers. Just plain ''zut'' is still in use, however — often repeated for effect, for example, ''zut, zut et zut!'') (Whether ''zut'' is dated or not might depend on context: where ''merde'' is not polite enough, ''zut'', ''zut alors'', ''zut et rezut'' etc. are still in current use.) There is an album by [[Frank Zappa]] titled [[Zoot Allures]].+
- +
-==Only found in English==+
-; Après-garde : Avant-garde's antonym. French uses ''arrière-garde'' (either in a military or artistic context)+
-; [[auteur]] : A film director, specifically one who controls most aspects of a film, or other controller of an artistic situation. The English connotation derives from French film theory. It was popularized in the journal ''[[Cahiers du cinéma]]'': auteur theory maintains that directors like Hitchcock exert a level of creative control equivalent to the author of a literary work. In French, the word originally means ''author'', but some expressions like "cinéma d'auteur" are also in use.+
-; [[cause célèbre]] : An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate, lit. ''famous cause''+
-; [[décolletage]] : a low-cut neckline, cleavage ''(This is actually a case of "false friends": Engl. <u>décolletage</u> = Fr. <u>décolleté</u>; Fr. <u>décolletage</u> means: 1. action of lowering a female garment's neckline; 2. Agric.: cutting leaves from some cultivated roots such as beets, carrots, etc.; 3. Tech. Operation consisting of making screws, bolts, etc. one after another out of a single bar of metal on a parallel lathe.''+
-; [[double entendre]] : ''double meaning'', for which [[Francophone]]s would use « double sens ». The verb entendre, ''to hear'' (modern), originally meant ''to understand''. ''(Note: French usage: "un mot à double sens": a word with more than one meaning; "une phrase à double entente": a sentence with a hidden meaning. "À double entente" is listed in the [[Petit Larousse]] [[1994]] with no mention of its being obsolete or regional.)''+
-; [[encore]] : A request to repeat a performance, as in “Encore !”, lit. ''again''; also used to describe additional songs played at the end of a [[concert|gig]]. Francophones would say « Bis ! » (''a second time !''); or « Une autre ! » (''Another one !'') to request « un rappel » (an ''encore''). To say « Encore ! » implies a request to reprieve the entire repertoire.+
-; [[faux pas]] : An embarrassing social error, lit. ''false step''; sometimes used in French to mean ''to slip''. Francophones would normally use « gaffe » which is less polite.+
-; [[femme]] : a stereotypically effeminate gay man or lesbian (slang, pronounced as written). In French, ''femme'' means "woman".+
-; le mot juste : the right word.+
-; [[maitre d'|maître d’]] : Francophones would say ''maître d’hôtel'' instead (French never uses "d'" alone).+
-; Répondez s'il vous plaît. ([[RSVP]]) : ''Please reply''. <!--Francophones use « prière de répondre ». ''(Note: RSLP ["Réponde s'il lui plaît"] is used on old-fashioned invitations written in the 3rd person, usually in "Script" typography — at least in Belgium.)''-->+
-; [[succès de scandale]] : ''Success through scandal''; Francophones might use « succès par médisance ».+
-; [[voir dire]] : jury selection ([[Law French]])+
- +
-==French phrases in international air-sea rescue==+
-International authorities have adopted a number of words and phrases from French for use by speakers of all languages in voice communications during air-sea rescues. Note that the "phonetic" versions are presented as shown and not in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]].+
- +
-; SECURITAY : (''securité'', “safety”) the following is a safety message or warning, the lowest level of danger.+
-; [[Pan-pan|PAN PAN]]: (''panne'', “breakdown”) the following is a message concerning a danger to a person or ship, the next level of danger.+
-; [[Mayday (distress signal)|MAYDAY]]: (''[venez] m'aider'', “come help me”; N.B. "Aidez-moi" means "help me") the following is a message of extreme urgency, the highest level of danger. ''(MAYDAY is used on voice channels for the same uses as SOS on [[Morse code|Morse]] channels.)''+
-; SEELONCE : (''silence'', “silence”) keep this channel clear for air-sea rescue communications.+
-; SEELONCE FEE NEE : (''silence fini'', “silence is over”) this channel is now available again.+
-; PRU DONCE : (''prudence'', “prudence”) silence partially lifted, channel may be used again for urgent non-distress communication.+
-; MAY DEE CAL : (''médical'', “medical”) medical assistance needed.+
- +
-It is a serious breach in most countries, and in international zones, to use any of these phrases without justification.+
- +
-''See [[Mayday (distress signal)]] for a more detailed explanation.''+

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French (français, is a Romance language spoken originally in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and today by about 300 million people around the world as a mother tongue or second language, with significant populations in 54 countries.

History

French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France.

French was the most important language of diplomacy and international relations from the 17th century to approximately the middle of the 20th century. English has now taken over that role, following the Second World War as the US became the dominant global power.

French literature

French literature

French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France. For literature written in French by citizens of other Francophone nations see Francophone literature.

During the 20th century, France was more permissive than other countries in terms of censorship, and many important foreign language novels were originally published in France while being banned in America: Joyce's Ulysses (published by Sylvia Beach in Paris, 1922), Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch (both published by Olympia Press), and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (published by Obelisk Press). Additionally, Paris has been the home-in-exile to two American literary movements: the lost generation and the beat generation.

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "French language" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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