French

[Pacifica]

I've recently (five years ago at most I think) started hearing "bien vu" ("good catch, well-spotted", or in a more general sense, "well done") used in the sense of "thanks". The semantical drift kind of makes sense (for instance if you're trying to drive a nail using your bare hand, and I give you a hammer, both "bien vu" and "merci" would work ), but it certainly surprised me the first time I heard it. I have no idea whether it could be a regional thing, but even so it would be a relatively knew usage as far as I know.

I don't think I've ever heard that.

 

[kizolk]

Funnily I just got a very interesting example of that "bien vu" on my band's Messenger convo:

I think it's the first time I've heard/seen the "bien vu merci" combination.

 

[interprete]

Funnily I just got a very interesting example of that "bien vu" on my band's Messenger convo:

View attachment 20710

I think it's the first time I've heard/seen the "bien vu merci" combination.

Interesting! I've never heard this in my life (yet!). Maybe it's a regional thing? Like adding "le/la" before someone's name? Well and many other such regionalisms I've noticed in Burgundy actually.

 

[interprete]

I also remember 'y' as in "j'vais y faire" which was described as a "Bressan" thing when I went to high school in the area, although I'm pretty sure I've heard it in other places too. "Il sait y faire" seems pretty common beyond Burgundy, maybe under thhe influence of "savoir s'y prendre" ?

 

[kizolk]

Interesting! I've never heard this in my life (yet!). Maybe it's a regional thing? Like adding "le/la" before someone's name? Well and many other such regionalisms I've noticed in Burgundy actually.

Yeah, that's possible. I also think it might be an age thing. The one who's using that expression in the above conversation is younger than me (around 28 I think), and he himself hangs out with younger people than himself, which might help explain this.

 

[kizolk]

I also remember 'y' as in "j'vais y faire" which was described as a "Bressan" thing, although I'm pretty user I've heard it in other places too.

Oh yes, I heard that "y" quite a lot back when I lived around Chablis, even from "educated" people (e.g. "je vais y dire" for "je vais lui dire"). I don't think it has to do with "je sais y faire" though.

 

[Pacifica]

Here's another word that I didn't know the French didn't use.

chiclette - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org

 

[Pacifica]

And you guys don't use this one, either? Wow.

 

[interprete]

Here's another word that I didn't know the French didn't use.

chiclette - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org

I heard it a lot in the 90's in Martinique.

 

[interprete]

And you guys don't use this one, either? Wow.

This one, I immediately picture a pirate with a wooden limb and an eye patch. So no, I don't use it everyday

 

[interprete]

Here's another word that I didn't know the French didn't use.

chiclette - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org

Now that I think of it, at school in Martinique we would specifically call 'chiklèt' (no one knew how it was written) the rectangular gums, the brand was invariably Hollywood if memory serves. And we would call chewing gums the larger ones, usually round shaped.

 

[Pacifica]

This one, I immediately picture a pirate with a wooden limb and an eye patch. So no, I don't use it everyday

o _ O

 

[Pacifica]

Now that I think of it, at school in Martinique we would specifically call 'chiklèt' (no one knew how it was written) the rectangular gums, the brand was invariably Hollywood if memory serves. And we would call chewing gums the larger ones, usually round shaped.

Hm, there may have been a similar distinction when I was young (and there may still be for all I know but it's been years since I had any talk about chewing gum). The recollection is fuzzy, though.

 

[Pacifica]

Our "larger ones" weren't round but more like cubes, IIRC.

 

[Clemens]

I worked in a hardware store this summer, and because there are lot of immigrants from Francophone Africa around here, I found myself using a lot of French. One customer I was talking to said septante—I'm guessing this must be a DRC thing coming from Belgian usage?

 

[Pacifica]

I worked in a hardware store this summer, and because there are lot of immigrants from Francophone Africa around here, I found myself using a lot of French. One customer I was talking to said septante—I'm guessing this must be a DRC thing coming from Belgian usage?

Seems likely.

 

[interprete]

I worked in a hardware store this summer, and because there are lot of immigrants from Francophone Africa around here, I found myself using a lot of French. One customer I was talking to said septante—I'm guessing this must be a DRC thing coming from Belgian usage?

Yes I too sometimes hear it from DRC nationals.

 

[interprete]

This one, I immediately picture a pirate with a wooden limb and an eye patch. So no, I don't use it everyday

Also, in Lucky Luke right? Doesn’t he and another characters spend most of their time munching on chique?

 

[kizolk]

Here's another word that I didn't know the French didn't use.

chiclette - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org

I know this one from my Swiss cousin!

FWIW, the most common brand of chewing-gum in Portugal (at some point at least) was called "Chiclets".

 

[Pacifica]

"Chiclets"

That's where the word comes from, according to Wiktionary:

"From the brand name, ultimately from Spanish chicle, from Classical Nahuatl tzictli."