Comments for Back Bay Francais http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:54:55 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on “Libéralisme” and BHL in French politics today by Etienne’s View on French and BHL’s Politics « Back Bay Francais http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/336/#comment-232 Etienne’s View on French and BHL’s Politics « Back Bay Francais Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:54:55 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=336#comment-232 [...] Etienne’s View on French and BHL’s Politics By Susan Etienne sent our blog a post of Bernard-Henri Lévy, interviewed in L’Express about his views on French politics today – the future of its Socialist Party (PS). That appears on a separate post. This post was written by Etienne Roop, an American politician and political scholar, to give his take on BHL’s take. An English translation by Pam Sacks is in another post of this blog. [...] [...] Etienne’s View on French and BHL’s Politics By Susan Etienne sent our blog a post of Bernard-Henri Lévy, interviewed in L’Express about his views on French politics today – the future of its Socialist Party (PS). That appears on a separate post. This post was written by Etienne Roop, an American politician and political scholar, to give his take on BHL’s take. An English translation by Pam Sacks is in another post of this blog. [...]

]]> Comment on Any Elegant English Words in French ? by Susan http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/any-elegant-english-words-in-french/#comment-210 Susan Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:28:41 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=319#comment-210 La question est donc: pourquoi l'audience - nous? - accepte-t-elle le non-raffinement ou la vulgarité? La question est donc: pourquoi l’audience – nous? – accepte-t-elle le non-raffinement ou la vulgarité?

]]> Comment on Any Elegant English Words in French ? by Eric http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/any-elegant-english-words-in-french/#comment-209 Eric Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:03:53 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=319#comment-209 ... ils ne sont pas forcément moins cultivés mais ils savent que, pour faire de l'audience, il est utile et judicieux de mettre en avant des mots "populaires" et pas très élégants. Il en va des mots comme des idées dans la presse "people" : ce n'est pas l'élégance et le raffinement qui font vendre ! … ils ne sont pas forcément moins cultivés mais ils savent que, pour faire de l’audience, il est utile et judicieux de mettre en avant des mots “populaires” et pas très élégants. Il en va des mots comme des idées dans la presse “people” : ce n’est pas l’élégance et le raffinement qui font vendre !

]]> Comment on Any Elegant English Words in French ? by Susan http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/any-elegant-english-words-in-french/#comment-208 Susan Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:16:47 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=319#comment-208 Bonne explication. Je suis d'accord que les journalistes encouragent l'emploi de ces mots mais ne sais pas s'ils sont moins cultivés que nous autres. S Bonne explication. Je suis d’accord que les journalistes encouragent l’emploi de ces mots mais ne sais pas s’ils sont moins cultivés que nous autres.
S

]]> Comment on Any Elegant English Words in French ? by Eric http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/any-elegant-english-words-in-french/#comment-206 Eric Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:21:57 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=319#comment-206 Syllogisme : 1 - Tous ces mots sont propulsés par les journalistes et les gens des médias 2- Or les gens des médias ne sont pas les gens les plus cultivés et "élégants" 3- donc ce sont les mots les plus vulgaires qui passent en boucle. Voilà mon explication. E Syllogisme :
1 – Tous ces mots sont propulsés par les journalistes et les gens des médias
2- Or les gens des médias ne sont pas les gens les plus cultivés et “élégants”
3- donc ce sont les mots les plus vulgaires qui passent en boucle.
Voilà mon explication.
E

]]> Comment on French words that don’t exist in English by Susan http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-197 Susan Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:41:31 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-197 Bonjour Eric R, If you're referring to <em>juilletistes</em> and <em>aoûtistes</em>, we don't HAVE words for them. That's what's so much fun! I love words in both French and English that don't translate easily or at all. It's amazing how many of them exist. I don't think the supposed French equivalents of "privacy," for example, <em>(l'intimité)</em> and "relationship" <em>(relation, rapport)</em> get the whole English meaning. And other French words we can't translate directly can be divided into their parts of speech: nouns like <em>un miraculé<em> and </em>un sinistré, un conspirationiste,</em> adjectives like <em>médicalisée,</em> and verbs like <em>responsabiliser</em> don't seem to have the exact equivalent of English. Bonjour Eric R,
If you’re referring to juilletistes and aoûtistes, we don’t HAVE words for them.
That’s what’s so much fun! I love words in both French and English that don’t translate easily or at all. It’s amazing how many of them exist.
I don’t think the supposed French equivalents of “privacy,” for example, (l’intimité) and “relationship” (relation, rapport)
get the whole English meaning. And other French words we can’t translate directly can be divided into their parts of speech: nouns like un miraculé and un sinistré, un conspirationiste, adjectives like médicalisée, and verbs like responsabiliser don’t seem to have the exact equivalent of English.

]]> Comment on French words that don’t exist in English by Eric R. http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-195 Eric R. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:39:36 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-195 Interesting words! I couldn't think of any English equivalents. Speaking of French news, as I've mentioned to you before I watch it online. Feel free to pass this website to anyone who doesn't have the cable channel. Some of the videos are just clips but you can tell which are full episodes by the blue bar and the "Video Integralite" description. I look forward to more new (or new-to-me) French words! Link to News-Video Website: http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-we/ Interesting words! I couldn’t think of any English equivalents. Speaking of French news, as I’ve mentioned to you before I watch it online. Feel free to pass this website to anyone who doesn’t have the cable channel.

Some of the videos are just clips but you can tell which are full episodes by the blue bar and the “Video Integralite” description.

I look forward to more new (or new-to-me) French words!

Link to News-Video Website:
http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-we/

]]> Comment on French words that don’t exist in English by Eric http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-191 Eric Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:42:07 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/new-words-for-me/#comment-191 "Juilletistes" et "aoûtiens" existent depuis des décennies et des décennies ma chère Susan ! Ce n'est pas nouveau et depuis des plombes les journalistes en mal de papiers à la fin juillet nous parlent soit des feux de forêts dans le midi soit du "traditionnel chassé-croisé des juillettistes et des aoûtiens". Et tous les ans ils répètent exactement la même chose en utilisant la même formule : "traditionnel chassé-croisé des juillettistes et des aoûtiens". ça montre le psittacisme des journalistes mais ce n'est pas nouveau. Le qualificatif aoûtien a toujours désigné une personne prenant des vacances en août. “Juilletistes” et “aoûtiens” existent depuis des décennies et des décennies ma chère Susan ! Ce n’est pas nouveau et depuis des plombes les journalistes en mal de papiers à la fin juillet nous parlent soit des feux de forêts dans le midi soit du “traditionnel chassé-croisé des juillettistes et des aoûtiens”. Et tous les ans ils répètent exactement la même chose en utilisant la même formule : “traditionnel chassé-croisé des juillettistes et des aoûtiens”. ça montre le psittacisme des journalistes mais ce n’est pas nouveau. Le qualificatif aoûtien a toujours désigné une personne prenant des vacances en août.

]]> Comment on A Good Film at the MFA French Film Festival by Constantin http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/a-good-film-at-the-mfa-french-film-festival/#comment-189 Constantin Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:00:27 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=275#comment-189 Great review and it was great seeing the movie with you! You captured our group consensus about the movie. I also saw another movie as part of the French Film Festival at the MFA: The Seawall, based on a novel by Marguerite Duras. It's a similar story as L'Amant - a young European woman falls in love with an Asian man, which is frowned upon by the European expatriate community in Vietnam where they are living. In this movie, the mother seems to be pimping her daughter to go with the rich Asian man in order to help the mother get out of her financial difficulties. It turns out the son is the one who ends up bringing money to his mother from his earnings as a gigolo. The family dynamics are as interesting as the inter-racial relationship. Great review and it was great seeing the movie with you! You captured our group consensus about the movie.

I also saw another movie as part of the French Film Festival at the MFA: The Seawall, based on a novel by Marguerite Duras. It’s a similar story as L’Amant – a young European woman falls in love with an Asian man, which is frowned upon by the European expatriate community in Vietnam where they are living. In this movie, the mother seems to be pimping her daughter to go with the rich Asian man in order to help the mother get out of her financial difficulties. It turns out the son is the one who ends up bringing money to his mother from his earnings as a gigolo. The family dynamics are as interesting as the inter-racial relationship.

]]> Comment on What Will the French Think of Us Now ? by Susan http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/what-will-the-french-think-of-us-now/#comment-188 Susan Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:22:50 +0000 http://backbayfrancais.wordpress.com/?p=290#comment-188 Are YOU blase about the Nude Cowboy? I'm not! I also think less of a politician who messes around on his wife. (More Clinton than the S. Carolina governor.) But what interests ME is the national cultural differences and I think this very blog exchange indicates that not all Americans think alike. The French THINK we do and I think Americans think the French do. Are YOU blase about the Nude Cowboy? I’m not! I also think less of a politician who messes around on his wife. (More Clinton than the S. Carolina governor.) But what interests ME is the national cultural differences and I think this very blog exchange indicates that not all Americans think alike. The French THINK we do and I think Americans think the French do.

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