[Sigia-l] Not quite non-Anglo...

[Richard Wiggins]

But in fact didn't the same French academy academy famously fail years ago
when it tried to ban "le weekend"?  Plus ca change...

It seems to me that all of this wringing of hands over what the French
language police have proclaimed is much ado over nothing.  They make their
pronouncements, and the French speaking populace will do as they please. 
Most press reports quoted a French ISP, Club Internet, as saying they'd
continue to say "e-mail" if they pleased.  (Only it will sound nicer
surrounded by the French language...)  Vive la France, vive la difference...

/rich

PS -- circa 1995 I videotaped an employee of an early cybercafe in Montreal
-- Le Cafe Electronique -- asking questions about their clientele and their
business.  At the end I asked the guy to please say for the camera "I like
to surf the Web" in French.

So that's what he said.  In English, he said:

 I like to surf the Web in French

/r

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 12:21:46 -0400, Stéphane Volet wrote:

...
> 
> We have in Québec well publicized laws and regulations on language 
> (understatement) ...
> 
> We even have a "Office de la langue française" where you can find 
> translations for a number of technology terms:
> 
> <http://w3.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/banque/>
> 
> Some of them are ... ok, I guess... others are as hilarious and useful 
> as the Starr Report translated to French by Babelfish!
> 
> Our cultural, historical and demographical position in Québec makes it 
> such that there a much greater effort and sense of urgency to avoid 
> assimilation than in France. Hence our very common use of the term 
> "courriel" (Courrier Électronique) which, incidently originated in 
> Belgium! For example, we'll also routinely say "fin de semaine" where 
> in France you'll hear "week end"....

____________________________________________________
Richard Wiggins
Writing, Speaking, and Consulting on Internet Topics
rich at richardwiggins.com       www.richardwiggins.com