Bravitude
So the big news in the French press is about the word bravitude used by presidential hopeful Ségolène Royal. Critics are comparing it to Bushisms like “misunderestimate,” but Ms. Royal says that it wasn’t a mistake – she coined the word because the word bravoure just wasn’t strong enough for the Chinese proverb she was translating. It’s an interesting question – what’s the difference between using a word that doesn’t exist because you don’t know any better and using one that doesn’t exist, but (maybe) should?
3 comments
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I brought up the topic of non
existent or needed words in my post on the thread about your fireplace. I think the most
productive people would be those with a talent for language, like poets or writers. From a
different perspective, according to an article I read, language innovators are the community
leaders, large or small communities, or any kind of artistic or intellectual leader, I guess. I
think this is illustrated in your example about the French politician. The new term or phrase
will stay depending on many factors. One of my favorites is “include me out”. “Capricious”, I
suspect comes from Caligula’s extravaganzas in Capri.
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Hi Eliot,
Your suggestion is interesting – why don’t you post it on my
Spanish forum and see what kinds of words members come up with?
http://forums.delphiforums.com/espeakespanol
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Love your blog! Languages are the greatest, all of them. Keep them coming.