Mispronouncing French military terms.

Same here.

I can read foreign languages. Somewhat.

But when they start talking ninety miles per hour . . . I leave the room.

I'm sure it's the same for them trying to listen to the world's English dialects at full throttle.

:smoke:
Last night I watched a special on whether or not King Louis VII betrayed Joan of Arc. Thanks to the English subtitles I could follow it, but yes they talk 90 mph!
 
Years ago I had a friend who’d joined the foreign legion, he couldn’t speak a word of French when he enlisted but after a few years he became quite fluent, he told me that the American legionaries struggled to lose the American twang when speaking French, apparently new recruits learn a style of pigeon French, everyone got there eventually though.
 
I had similar experiences in Paris but according to one of the many guidebooks, French natives appreciate that you make an effort to speak in their language.
When I was in France, I decided to go it alone and catch a bus, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out my French, no such luck, the female bus driver said, ‘ah English’, and proceeded to practice her English language on me as did everyone else on the bus.I basically gave an English lesson to a bus load of French locals.
 
Years ago I had a friend who’d joined the foreign legion, he couldn’t speak a word of French when he enlisted but after a few years he became quite fluent, he told me that the American legionaries struggled to lose the American twang when speaking French, apparently new recruits learn a style of pigeon French, everyone got there eventually though.
I have hilarious visions of squabs trying to speak anything at all - actually, it's pidgin instead of pigeon (the bird):
"Jan 17, 2013 · Pidgin definition, an auxiliary language that has come into existence through the attempts by the speakers of two different languages to communicate and that is primarily a simplified form of one of the languages, …"
 
I have hilarious visions of squabs trying to speak anything at all - actually, it's pidgin instead of pigeon (the bird):
"Jan 17, 2013 · Pidgin definition, an auxiliary language that has come into existence through the attempts by the speakers of two different languages to communicate and that is primarily a simplified form of one of the languages, …"
Dough...I mean...DOH.:smug:
 
As to "pétards"... As mentioned earlier in this thread, I was a French language/lit major in college and spent about a year there. I'm fortunate that my line of work has allowed me to keep up with it for the past 25 years...

Well, here's the awkward part about about being a Yank named "Peter" in France. That combination of letters exists in the French language but their version, with the proper accent written over the first "E", << Péter >> translates to the unconjugated version of the verb "to fart" 🤔

So one might be at greater risk of being hoisted by one's own petard after glomming all the pork 'n beans from the reenactment Company Mess 😆
 
Many aviation terms are handed down from the French because the US bought their WW1 aircraft from France.

Finally got back with some examples.

Aileron
Fuselage
Nacelle
Empennage - from French word "empenner" meaning "to feather an arrow".


Out-dated aviation terms that were used by Americans:
Pique (climb)
Vrille (spin)
Virages (turns)
Renversements (Immelmann turns)
Tournants (barrel rolls)
 
As to "pétards"... As mentioned earlier in this thread, I was a French language/lit major in college and spent about a year there. I'm fortunate that my line of work has allowed me to keep up with it for the past 25 years...

Well, here's the awkward part about about being a Yank named "Peter" in France. That combination of letters exists in the French language but their version, with the proper accent written over the first "E", << Péter >> translates to the unconjugated version of the verb "to fart" 🤔

So one might be at greater risk of being hoisted by one's own petard after glomming all the pork 'n beans from the reenactment Company Mess 😆
I would definitely go with Pierre!
 
So if I went to a reenactment most reenactors would would say kepi like K P not like kep ee?

Oh, man--I had no idea it was pronounced anything other than "kep ee"!! I'm sorry! I mis-pronounce a lot of things however. I tend to make up my own pronunciations : / Like my cat "Agate" I pronounce a gate. I only recently found out that it's more commonly pronounced AG it.


I am assuming that most, if not all, CivilWarTalk members know when to use Cheval-de-Frise and Chevaux-de-frise when they write.

sheepishly raises hand I wouldn't know which one to use... I don't really know what they are either...

Chevaux-de-frise is the plural version. These were part of defensive works.
That's what I thought they were, but I wouldn't have been able to tell you off the top of my head : /
 
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I'm still scarred from a few years ago when a coworker kept talking about someone else "joining the Marine corpse." :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

When I first got into the civil war, I thought "brigadier" was pronounced "bri GAD er"--because you know, there were brigades! My father, who was in the army, later corrected me : )
 
So let us start with how modern Civil War forum members would pronounce these common Civil War terms: easy to harder.

Vidette
Barbette
Banquette
Cheval de Frise
Chevaux-de-frise

I'm sure I'll get all these wrong!!!

Vidette: vi DET

Barbette: bar BET

Banquette: BAN kwet

Cheval de Frise: sha VOL de freeze

Chevaux de frise: sha VO de freeze

I know. I'm hopeless : )

There was another one called Sabot. Is it something other than sa BOT?
 
I'm sure I'll get all these wrong!!!

Vidette: vi DET

Barbette: bar BET

Banquette: BAN kwet

Cheval de Frise: sha VOL de freeze

Chevaux de frise: sha VO de freeze

I know. I'm hopeless : )

There was another one called Sabot. Is it something other than sa BOT?

Sabot is usually pounced as Sa bo with a short "A" and a long "O" and the first syllable is pronounce with only a bit more stressed than the second syllable or both syllables are stressed the same.
 
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