The French Hit Back! (1 Viewer)

DBK

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Using an aire in France, at Dompierre-sur-Besbre near the Loire, I came across something stuck on top of an All the Aires sticker from Vicarious Books.
Thinking it must be from a rival guide I removed it then as I was filling water I looked at it again.

OI000076.jpg


The French says:

"Faites-le savoir ! Le mot CAMPING-CAR est un faux anglicisme.
Le terme Français est AUTOCARAVANE"

Which translates I think (not sure of the first bit) to:

"Do it! The word CAMPING-CAR is a false Anglicism (Anglicisation). The French term is autocaravan"

"Caravane" is a French word from which our own word "caravan" is derived. So I think we should retaliate by banning the term "Motor caravan" on the basis it uses a French word and logically we should also ban the term caravan too. :)
 
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MC 55 FUN

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Persian originally ? :

cara|van
[ˈkarəvan, karəˈvan]
mobile home · camper · caravanette · trailer · van ·
Dormobile

  • a covered horse-drawn wagon:
    "a Gypsy caravan"
    synonyms: wagon · covered cart · van
  • NORTH AMERICAN
    a covered lorry.

Origin
late 15th cent. (in sense 2): from French caravane, from Persian kārwān. The sense ‘covered horse-drawn wagon’ dates from the early 19th cent.
 
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DBK

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Persian originally ? :

cara|van
[ˈkarəvan, karəˈvan]
mobile home · camper · caravanette · trailer · van ·
Dormobile

  • a covered horse-drawn wagon:
    "a Gypsy caravan"
    synonyms: wagon · covered cart · van
  • NORTH AMERICAN
    a covered lorry.
Origin
late 15th cent. (in sense 2): from French caravane, from Persian kārwān. The sense ‘covered horse-drawn wagon’ dates from the early 19th cent.
Indeed, Persian originally but came to us via the French I think. But at least "motor" is safe for us to use, :) originally Latin then to English. And "home" is originally German. So "motorhome" uses German and Latin and is refreshingly free of French influence. :)
 
Feb 22, 2008
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We stayed on some aires which were reserved places on car parks marked Camping Cars Only, maybe the label is used by a French cultural group or the like.
 
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DBK

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Why do their roadsigns say "Aire de Camping Car" then?
There used to be a committee in France, and there may still be, which used to fight to preserve the French language from English influence. They were obviously having a day off when camping-car was adopted. :)

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Huwmari

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Using an aire in France, at Dompierre-sur-Besbre near the Loire, I came across something stuck on top of an All the Aires sticker from Vicarious Books.
Thinking it must be from a rival guide I removed it then as I was filling water I looked at it again.

View attachment 164497

The French says:

"Faites-le savoir ! Le mot CAMPING-CAR est un faux anglicisme.
Le terme Français est AUTOCARAVANE"

Which translates I think (not sure of the first bit) to:

"Do it! The word CAMPING-CAR is a false Anglicism (Anglicisation). The French term is autocaravan"

"Caravane" is a French word from which our own word "caravan" is derived. So I think we should retaliate by banning the term "Motor caravan" on the basis it uses a French word and logically we should also ban the term caravan too. :)
I think the first bit translates as "let it be known" or "be aware" or something like that.

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Feb 22, 2008
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There used to be a committee in France, and there may still be, which used to fight to preserve the French language from English influence. They were obviously having a day off when camping-car was adopted. :)

Like our neighbours over in Wales, sorry Cymru ;)
 

Camdoon

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Unfortunately the French have language Nazis and bigots the same as any other country, including the English.

Pay it no heed
No the French have an actual authority. The last I heard they had made an announcement on cedillas (the squiggly bit as in garçon)
It is the French who cannot live with not having the lingua franca (Juncker in his delusional state playing to their gallery recently) which is why they called CD's, DC's and NATO, OTAN. Nuts; as the Germans and Italians go with the flow.
There is no English speaking equivalent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Académie_française
I am sure the French Canadians have a similar authority.
Found it - The Quebecoids have Law 101
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_French_Language
English is not even the formal language of England or the UK so this time we cannot take the blame.

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klaatu

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Quelle surprise. It was probably put there by an enfant terrible with an idée fixe, looking to start a contretemps. But this kind of patois is a fait accompli, and it would be a faux pas to try to effect a volte-face now. C'est la vie!
 

magicsurfbus

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I hope the authority doesn't catch anyone using aires autocaravane at le weekend then.

Le terme Francais est fin de semaine, n'est pas? :france:
 
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Ahh, now if you want to wind people up:

What we call a French Horn (music, dear boy) is called a course Anglais in France
What we call a French letter is sometimes referred to as a capot Anglais out there
What we call rendezvous they also call it the same (it is a French word), as is cul de sac, as are Bourgeois, Brunette, Cafatiere, Cafateria, Chauffeur, Cafe, Chic, Critique, Depot, Déjà vu, Eau de Cologne etc, etc, etc

Lacking a precise word for a weekend (fin de semain - end of week) they tend to use the English word.

The word denim actually derives from serge de Nim

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We need @yodeli ''s perspective!

I should also add this is all meant in FUN. I'm in France at the moment having a good time!

You'd be amazed to see the many many many words English language has taken from French. Buy yourself an Oxford Dictionnary and you'll see!!!

Even the Royal Motto is French ! LOL ! Honni soit qui mal y pense !

Back to the sticker , "Faites le savoir" means "Pass it on" . Some people can be very fussy. They make a fuss about camping-car and then go to the supermarket and park on the "PARKING" . Do they try to find the french word for this one? NO! All the languages have more or less the same roots, mainly Greek and Latin so there! Let them talk!:rolleyes: They can't harm a lot ;)(y):D
 

moulin 87

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Using an aire in France, at Dompierre-sur-Besbre near the Loire, I came across something stuck on top of an All the Aires sticker from Vicarious Books.
Thinking it must be from a rival guide I removed it then as I was filling water I looked at it again.

View attachment 164497

The French says:

"Faites-le savoir ! Le mot CAMPING-CAR est un faux anglicisme.
Le terme Français est AUTOCARAVANE"

Which translates I think (not sure of the first bit) to:

"Do it! The word CAMPING-CAR is a false Anglicism (Anglicisation). The French term is autocaravan"

"Caravane" is a French word from which our own word "caravan" is derived. So I think we should retaliate by banning the term "Motor caravan" on the basis it uses a French word and logically we should also ban the term caravan too. :)

I think the car is from autocar which is French for a coach.. as in bus.

Camping-Car may equate to a ' Coach for Camping'...
 
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French Canadians call KFC, PFK, (Poulet Frit Kentucky), they don't even call it PFK in Paris Oh Please!. :rolleyes:

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Camdoon

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French Canadians call KFC, PFK, (Poulet Frit Kentucky), they don't even call it PFK in Paris Oh Please!. :rolleyes:
Interesting that because KFC is now the official name of the company (not Kentucky...) the same as BP and BT are no longer British... In that case the name should be changed back to KFC :)

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DBK

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You'd be amazed to see the many many many words English language has taken from French. Buy yourself an Oxford Dictionnary and you'll see!!!

Even the Royal Motto is French ! LOL ! Honni soit qui mal y pense !

Back to the sticker , "Faites le savoir" means "Pass it on" . Some people can be very fussy. They make a fuss about camping-car and then go to the supermarket and park on the "PARKING" . Do they try to find the french word for this one? NO! All the languages have more or less the same roots, mainly Greek and Latin so there! Let them talk!:rolleyes: They can't harm a lot ;)(y):D
Thank you! We have them in the UK. There is someone in Bristol who goes around correcting apostrophes on signs - a harmless pursuit. Unfortunately, he describes himself as a "grammar activist" but the use of the apostrophe is nothing to do with grammar.
Oops....
 

JJ

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I don't camp in my van.

I live in it.

So...

It is NOT a camper or a camping car.

It is my home.

It has a motor to move it around so it is my motorhome.

It has all the facilities I could ever need so it is my...

Luxury Motorhome.


JJ :cool:
 

Camdoon

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Thank you! We have them in the UK. There is someone in Bristol who goes around correcting apostrophes on signs - a harmless pursuit. Unfortunately, he describes himself as a "grammar activist" but the use of the apostrophe is nothing to do with grammar.
Oops....
The difference, one being the odd bod and the other enforcement by the Government - big difference.
 
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EX51SSS

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Of course, from the (erm) President of the USA at the time, George W Bush.
That's the trouble with the French, they don't have a word for entrepreneur.

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Michel Thomas (excellent relaxing language courses) says that 60% of the words in the English language are of French origin.
 
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I don't camp in my van.

I live in it.

So...

It is NOT a camper or a camping car.

It is my home.

It has a motor to move it around so it is my motorhome.

It has all the facilities I could ever need so it is my...

Luxury Motorhome.


JJ :cool:

Its an FB Motorhome :D
 
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Riverbankannie

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Thank you! We have them in the UK. There is someone in Bristol who goes around correcting apostrophes on signs - a harmless pursuit. Unfortunately, he describes himself as a "grammar activist" but the use of the apostrophe is nothing to do with grammar.
Oops....
IMG_1272.JPG

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