Language Quips

I am a nerd when it comes to language learning.

Okay, I'm a nerd when it comes to alot of things, but especially when it comes to language learning. I love finding weird little words. I love finding out the history behind words. I love idioms. I love words. I'm a word nerd. And so I love studying languages and finding all sorts of fun new ways to use words.

These last two weeks in language class have held many a fascinating moment for me. Here are a few of the little delights that have filled my heart, much like a really good piece of chocolate...

• 'Pregnant' is 'enceinte,' but 'pregnancy' is 'grossesse.' Why aren't they even remotely similar? And how funny is it that the word pregnancy appears to have the word "fat" in it? (Gross = fat in French.)
• The term 'scaredy cat' is translated 'wet chicken' (une poule mouillée).
• There are two different words for a daffodil, depending on the color! A yellow daffodil is a jonquille and a white daffodil with a yellow middle is a narcisse.
• A 'motormouth' is called a 'windmill of words' (un moulin à paroles).
• The word 'italics' comes from meaning 'italian' because the italics system was invented in Italy!
• There's no word for 'stalker' or 'to stalk' in French. Which is a good thing, because it must not happen enough here for them to have a word for it. Although, the way I found out there wasn't a word for it was during a lesson with a long text about a stalker...
• A slang word for 'very' is 'vachement,' which translated means 'cow-ly.' It's CSI's new favorite word, since she does so ever love les vaches (the cows).

The last one is a story. Ahmed, an Arab guy in my class, was asked what sort of characteristics he likes in women, and he responded, "une petite fille." (I'll translate in a minute.)

Teacher responds, "Well, if that's the case, in France, that's illegal and you'll go to jail. You must mean you like les filles petites, and not les petites filles."

Ahmed looks at her, already embarrassed to be talking about what he likes in a woman, but then gives her this look that says, "You just said the same thing twice." She explains that "une petite fille" is a little girl, and in France, pedophilia is a crime, so he would go to jail for liking little girls. But "une fille petite" means a petite (as we define it in English) woman: short and thin.

Where you put the adjective makes ALL the difference in French!

And Ahmed made sure we all understood that he likes les filles petites, and not the other way around...