French language Words and expressions
Ta langue en dit long
2020
Sous-titres : Français Espagnol Roumain Anglais Allemand Arabe
The French language is derived from Latin... The whole language? No, because a large part of its vocabulary has been taken from other cultures, those whose route crossed that of the French during the course of their history. Words borrowed from European neighbours such as Italy, Germany or England, but also from African, Arabian, Chinese or even Mexican cousins. A reminder that French, an international language, was forged in diversity.
French language | Words and expressions
Episode 1
3 min
Du boss au flirt
Dans le sillage de la Libération, la langue anglaise est devenue la première contributrice au français. C'est de bonne guerre puisque la moitié du vocabulaire anglais est d'origine française - la faute à Guillaume le Conquérant. Donc, si nous parlons de" pull-over", de "dealer" et de" cash", les Anglais, eux, causent "beef", "fiancé" et "déjà vu" !
Episode 2
2 min
De l'échalote au coco-fesse
Les plantes racontent la saga des grandes expéditions scientifiques. Ainsi l'échalote, ou « eschalogne », ramenée par les croisés après le siège d'Ascalon, en Palestine. "Tulipe" est tiré d'un nom turc, tülbend, « le turban ». "Pétunia" vient d'un mot amérindien, "petyn". Et la bougainvillée, de Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, qui découvrit cette liane au Brésil.
Episode 3
3 min
Des Vikings au bazooka
Les revers militaires de la France lui ont au moins permis de s'enrichir sur le plan linguistique. Merci, donc, aux Vikings, inventeurs du drakkar ; aux Italiens, qui nous ont légué le canon ; aux Espagnols et à leur guérilla ; aux Russes, à qui nous devons le bistrot. Sans oublier les Américains et leur bazooka, lequel désignait au départ un instrument de jazz.
Episode 4
3 min
Du coq au bling bling
Quand le cri d'un animal, comme le coq, ou le son produit par un objet, par exemple une clenche, finissent par les désigner, on parle d'onomatopées. Sont ainsi nés les mots "huer" ou "gargariser", mais aussi "môme", "pouf" et "zeste". Et voici le dernier de la bande : "bling bling", qui imite le bruit des chaînes en or portées par les rappeurs !
Episode 5
2 min
Du microbe à la cadillac
Le monde moderne et son cortège d'inventions ont entraîné la création de nombreux mots, d'abord tirés du grec, tels que "microbe", "photographie" ou "téléphone". Puis les ingénieurs commerciaux ont pris le relais, créant des marques devenues autant de noms communs, tels que "scotch", "frigidaire" et même "cadillac", dont le nom s'inspire d'un aventurier français du XVIIIe siècle.
The French language is derived from Latin... The whole language? No, because a large part of its vocabulary has been taken from other cultures, those whose route crossed that of the French during the course of their history. Words borrowed from European neighbours such as Italy, Germany or England, but also from African, Arabian, Chinese or even Mexican cousins. A reminder that French, an international language, was forged in diversity.
TV5MONDE and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) invite you into the classrooms of teachers of FLE (French as a foreign language) using TV5MONDE pedagogical resources. As well as the sequences of lessons filmed off the cuff, the teachers share lots of tips on teaching according to context and their students. If you are a teacher, you can find all our pedagogical resources at enseigner.tv5monde.com
The French language: officially born in the 16th century, by the hand of a king, at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts. Since then it has travelled across continents thanks to 321 million French-speakers. A story recounted in the first person, describing its difficulties and successes down the centuries.
Explore the power of language through creative and stimulating writing games! Let yourself be guided by the members of the French writing group 'Oulipo' (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle) and discover fascinating figures of style which give new dimensions to literary creativity.
And what if changes to language could bring wider changes to our society? With her acute sense of detail, Athéna Sol invites us to explore the new words shaping a contemporary and more inclusive francophone world. With support from the SACD Fund - TV5MONDE
Places where people talk. They talk while travelling or talk about travelling, talk about anything and everything, for pleasure, just for the pleasure of talking. A series that plays with the French language, its exceptions and its difficulties, but always with a touch of indulgence and plenty of humour.
From Paris to Puducherry, via Rio, Buenos Aires and Tsiroanomandidy, to meet some of the men and woman continuing to spread the influence of the French language and francophone culture across the world. With personal stories from Irina Bokova, Bernard Cerquiglini, Laurent Fabius, Julia Kristeva, Erik Orsenna, Sebastião Salgado...
