Tag Archives: language

From a Word that Means “Bridge”

Brugge. That’s what I want to call it from now on.   It’s in Flanders, not Wallonia.   How typical of the Anglophones – the British in particular –  to use its French name by default.  We haven’t grown out … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Words and Civilisation: A Smidgeon of Français

Say sidewalk, elevator or garbage, and the English will wince in disgust and mutter the almost unspeakable.  “That’s American,” they will remark before casting you out of Society for polluting the purity of Shakespeare’s tongue.  Using French, however, suggests to … Continue reading

Posted in Words and Civilisation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments