Re: Adopting a plural

 --- John Cowan <jcowan@...> skrev:
> Philippe Caquant scripsit:
>
> > In Raymond Queneau's "Exercices de Style" (the
> same
> > insignificant anecdote written in a lot of
> different
> > styles),
>
> A wonderful book, which I have read in translation
> (yes, there
> are several translations of it, peculiar as that may
> seem).
I wondered for a while how the 'Latin' text could have
several English translations, but indeed, it's
perfectly reasonable, since it uses words hardly
understandable to not-French people (like: 'cum
chapito' for 'with a hat')

There is also a chapter called "Poor lay Zanglay",
figuring a written pronunciation help of French
Language for the English. It goes like this: "Ung joor
vare meedee ger preelotobüs poor la port Changparay.
Eel aytay congplay, praysk. Jer mongtay kang maym ay
lar jer vee ung ohm ahvayk ung long coo...", etc. (Un
jour vers midi je pris l'autobus pour la Porte
Champerret. Il était complet, presque. Je montai quand
meme et là je vis un homme avec un long cou..."

This is very subtle because it doesn't really indicate
to an Englishman how he *should* pronounce French, but
how he *would* probably pronounce it (i.e., the
English way). So it's a mirror rather than a guide.

(And strangely, the text looks partly rather
Indian-like, IMO).



=====
Philippe Caquant


Ceterum censeo *vi* esse oblitterandum (Me).

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