Talk:Belgicism (French)

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pronunciation[edit]

From the article:

  • The distinction between the nasal vowels /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ is upheld, whereas in many regions of France, these two sounds have merged. Thus, although for many French people, brin (stalk) and brun (brown), are homophones, for Belgians they are not.

I wouldn't say this statement is true or relevant: "many regions of France" might indeed merge the 2 sounds, but that is not proper pronunciation. So what's the point to note that Belgian pronunciation is actually correct? --Bmaisonny (talk) 12:03, 7 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe because one of these "many regions of France" is IIUC the Paris region, and that Paris is a trendsetter in many respects including language, but less so outside the boundaries of the French republic. — Tonymec (talk) 02:12, 8 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Nonante[edit]

"nonante" isn't a belgicism! also, "cailler" has been in use in France for the last 15 years or so.

  • Nonante is connected with Belgium more than anywhere else. When I say 'nonante,' I am told not that it's a helveticism, but that it is a belgicism... and 'cailler' originated in Belgium and I feel should be noted, even if portions of France have picked it up. --It's-is-not-a-genitive 23:59, 15 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If I'm not mistaken a Belgicism is actually an "incorrect" word or sentence while "nonante" is in fact correct but it's just Belgian french (and Swiss french). That's the way I learned it.

AFAIK, a belgicism is a word or expression, correct or not, but common only in Belgium. I'd say "septante" and "nonante" are nowadays regionalisms, used in Belgium, Switzerland and Democratic Congo, while in the rest of the French-speaking area they are archaisms, which were common some centuries ago together with "soixante-dix" and "quatre-vingt-dix", but the latter two pushed them into disuse there. Similarly, "une aubette" is, or used to be, a belgicism, a perfectly correct and IMO better chosen synonym for the French "un abribus" (originally a trademark). — Tonymec (talk) 02:08, 8 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Serpillière[edit]

Under Some Examples: English: "floorcloth" is not a word as far as I know (it is certainly not at all common in modern American English at least - I've never heard it before). I suggest "carpet," "mat," or "rug" instead; not sure what the context is (not a native french speaker) but rug/carpet is probably correct. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.82.40.37 (talk) 22:59, 1 July 2016 (UTC) – Nevermind. According to the wikipedia page for "serpillière" the most likely term here is a "mop". As you can see, the term "floorcloth" caused me a bit of confusion because it really isn't a word.[reply]

"Serpillière" is the mainstream French word, not used in Belgium where the same cloth (used to clean the floor) is named "un torchon" while "un torchon" in France is what the Belgians call "un essui de cuisine" (a cloth used to wipe the dishes after washing them). — Tonymec (talk) 02:23, 8 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Kot[edit]

Maybe it would be more fitting to say "kots" translates to "puke" rather than "vomit" because of the language register the word "vomit" is formal and "puke" isn't which is the same with "kots" which is the informal, maybe even a but impolite way of saying "overgeven"

Puke? Vomit? I'm a French-speaking Belgian, and when I hear (or use) the word "un kot" (plural "des kots"), it means a student's lodging near the university. For "some vomit" I would say "du vomi" or (informal) "du dégueulis", and for "to vomit / to puke", "vomir" or (informal) "dégueuler". — Tonymec (talk) 01:50, 8 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Dutch Belgicisms[edit]

Belgicisms also exist in the Dutch language. The Flemish variety of Dutch contains words that aren't considered standard Dutch in The Netherlands. This Wikipedia page now only speaks of French Belgicisms. In Dutch, a word that is only used in the Flemish variety of the Dutch language, is considered a Belgicism ("belgicisme" in Dutch). Right now, the French version of this Wikipedia page, refers to "Français de Belgique" (which in its turn, refers back to another English Wikipedia page, namely "Belgian French"). This is confusing. Also, Belgicisms seem to be more about specific words and expressions, rather than differences in accents or pronunciation. I think this page should reflect both Dutch and French Belgicisms, and / or, to make it less confusing, maybe should just refer to (sections of) the pages about "Flemish" and "Belgian French". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.11.234.25 (talk) 20:57, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]