Re: Pretty (WAS: request for COMMENTS)

En réponse à Jim Grossmann <steven@...>:

>
> As you may already know, "pretty" implies femininity when said of
> people,
> and some of their personal effects, like clothing.   Otherwise, it does
> not
> imply femininity when said of things.    Most Americans are reporting
> a
> purely esthetic response, devoid of any sexuality, when they call a
> sunset,
> painting, or light show "pretty."
>
> Is all this true of the equivalent French word?
>
There's no equivalent French word to the English "pretty", we just divide the
semantic space differently here. The nearest word to "pretty" is "joli", and
doesn't imply feminity at all. In fact, it's normally not used with people,
except by, or when talking to, small children, and it has more the
meaning "cute" then (although "cute" is normally translated
as "mignon"). "Joli" used among adults almost always implies childishness (not
necessarily in a negative way), but not feminity.

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

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