The English language gradually became a “de facto” “lingua franca”. From an early Anglo-Saxon dialect, it endured the infiltration of the Celts, followed by the Viking invasions, the Roman occupation and the Norman conquest, which led to an important influx of French words of about ten thousand. Ultimately the Latin influence that had started with the Romans deepened, weakening even more the little left of the ancient Germanic origin. Fifty five percent of the language is Latin based and probably close to forty percent is Norman-French origin.
No wander why today English speaking people are fascinated by French words and expressions covering a wide range of meanings, although occasionally adapting the definition and having to cope with unusual pronunciations.
Genre is a funny one where the “re” is more pronounced than the “gen” part of the world making it something like “genREH”. In French, the E after R at the end of a word is not pronounced, making it more a “genrh” where the R is blurred, a tapered speaking, a quiet purr, a sexy French purr, not a rogue throat clearing.
Another amusing French assumption-turning-to-joke; well, let me tell you, sometime irritating after having heard the same one the past… 27 years and still going strong. The interestingly famous French “HHAN, HHAN” with the second “hhan” even louder than the first, sort of a horselaugh, not to confound with the French Cancan, a cabaret dance during which the ladies kick up one leg at a time (I am glad for them!), showing off their undergarments to the pleasure of the tourists experiencing the Paris night life.
A French friend who has been living here for a few years, asked me about the infamous “hhan-hhan” that people have been serving him since he got here, saying that he had never heard any French doing so, except maybe for someone sick with a cold and using an handkerchief. Intrigued, I decided to search and find out what is the origin of such a legend. Knowing that some Americans still think of French wearing a beret and listening to Edith Piaf’s tunes, preferably with an accordion playing a sad song, although Edith died in 1963, it gave me the idea that the source of the hhan-hhan legend should be searched in the 50ies or 60ies.
And sure enough, I ended up remembering Maurice Chevalier playing in Gigi, an American 1958 musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli with good ol’ Maurice starring with Leslie Caron and hhan-hhan-ing as much as he could. “Hhan-hhan… my littell Gigi!” He played in so many movies from Innocents of Paris in 1929 to The Happy Road in 56 and up to Monkeys Go Home in 67.
Maurice was an eternal optimist and besides his idiosyncrasies, loved to say things such as: Old age is not so bad when you consider the alternative! Nevertheless, he left us with his theatrical, burlesque character and foibles that have impacted a few American generations to still portray French people as hhan-hhan-ing with a loud and enthusiastic voice. I think Maurice did more single hhan's, although he might have made some triple ones as well...
Looking at French expressions, experts have counted about 150 of them and among which the well known adieu, aide-de-camp, à la carte, and for the people watching the Japanese Iron Chef on TV: à la cuisine (but it is not necessary to throw a fit for such a simple command!), à propos, au jus (please, not “a jus” as read on some menus), au pair, bon appétit, café au lait (which is served mainly with steamed or pressed coffee, not dripped as we do here, although cheap but similar to what we call here “latte” that we pay with 3 or 4 single green notes, as if it was some rare exotic drink).
Let’s continue our short list: chic, coup de grâce (pronounced “coo deh graaass”, not “coop deh graah”, as “graah” could mean fat), crème brulée, cuisine, déjà vu, du jour, encore, esprit de corps (nothing to do with corpse!), faux pas, fiancée, force majeure, haute couture, je ne sais quoi, maitre d’ hotel or maitre d’ as an abbreviation (the capital D is only adding an unnecessary snobbism... that you pay later on your bill), matinée (meaning morning, which makes me laugh every time I find out that the matinee's are scheduled early afternoon!), ménage a trois (I cannot pass this one as the expression was popularized in France after the 1962 movie Jules et Jim, Catherine being the third party of the ménage. The relations between the 3 main characters were more intense than what people might think à priori. Jeanne Moreau, one of my preferred actresses, was sublime in this complex role. She also played in one of my favorite and intriguing movie The Trial with Orson wells, Tony Perkins and Romy Schneider).
Running down the alphabetic order: nouvelle cuisine, papier maché, petits fours (it took me years to understand that the “pettit_force” was in effect the “pehti foor”!!!), raison d’être, RSVP (which means Répondez, s'il vous plait or please answer), soirée, souvenir, touché and the very famous voilà, mainly used as et voilà (meaning "and here it is").
Obviously, the list is not complete and whatever makes the 150 or so counted names or expressions, are used more or less frequently. One term I have not head here, although mentioned as an existing French to English idiom, is nouveau riche and I wish to spend some time with it, as it should be of some interest for any amateur sociologist.
French did use this expression to define people who distant themselves from others by noticeably and loudly exposing material signs of possession as a mean of superiority to separate themselves from people of lesser materialistic ownership. No interest for the soul here! The nouveaux riches can be found in any American towns and cities, buying adult “toys” as they say and any necessary imposing paraphernalia, distinguishing people from people as portrayed by the dominant monkey awkwardly holding a stick as a sign of superiority.
Some of the nouveaux riches have to sell their possessions these days. The American economy… and the French expression did court them by surprise, now to be distinguished for their superficiality. A fatalistic expression might help them coping with the hard times they are experiencing: c’est la vie. And to finish with a kind thought: Bonne chance. A bientôt.
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