Je préférerai toujours les choses aux mots, et la pensée à la rime.

– Voltaire –

Candide (Penguin Popular Classics)

A la différence de la richesse, la science te garde là où il te faudrait garder l’autre; et l’usage augmente le savoir, tandis qu’il diminue l’or.

–Proverbe arabe–

Ne méprise pas ton ennemi, pour petit qu’il te semble.

– Le proverbe arabe –

Les Français arrivent tard à tout, mais enfin ils arrivent.

– Voltaire –

The German Duden has completed its updates and when new words come in, some old ones have to go. Whereas a lot of new anglicized words have moved in, some old French words had to go. The Duden 2007 edition was the last one to have the italicized French words included.

In my quaint lower Franconian hometown, where the clocks tick differently, a lot of French was unknowingly used around our house. My aunt would instruct me to get my feet off the Canapé. My mom would be looking for her Portemonnaie while my older sister was hoping for a Rendezvous.

On Saturdays we had to sweep the Trottoir and could take a rest on the Chaiselongue. If we looked lazy, we were called faule Bagage. When we borrowed something, we had to give it Retour.

These words are gone from our German dictionary. Oh well, most Germans had trouble spelling them anyway. And the French might be enchanted to have these words to themselves again – properly pronounced.

Pendant la guerre, les Français parlaient aux Français. Mais les Allemands aussi!

-Michel Audiard-