This work will shed some light on how the French language has made its way onto the North American continent. Furthermore it will present examples which illustrate the influence French had on American and Canadian English lexis. In addition, the special language situation in Canada, especially in Quebec, will be illuminated in the last section.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Historical Background
3. French Influence on American English
3.1 Proper Names
3.2 American English Lexis
3.3 Americanisation and changes in meaning
3.4 American Phrases
4. French Influence specially on Canadian English
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This work explores the historical and linguistic impact of the French language on North American English, examining how colonial history and settlement patterns facilitated the integration of French-origin vocabulary, proper names, and cultural idioms into American and Canadian English.
- Historical development of French colonies in North America.
- Linguistic assimilation and Americanization of loanwords.
- Semantic shifts and the role of folk etymology in shaping vocabulary.
- The impact of French culture on American idiomatic expressions.
- Specific sociolinguistic dynamics of French in Canada and Quebec.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 American English Lexis
As already mentioned, French was once spoken in many parts of the country. An abundance of French words have thus made their way into the American English vocabulary. “The whole colonial experience had a dramatic effect on the English language” (McCrum 121). In this section some loanwords from French will be presented.
When the early French explorers and traders examined the new untouched territory in the far North of the continent and came into contact with native tribes, they tried to converse with them and adopted some native words for objects in the new environment which were unknown to them, because they did not exist in their mother country. For example ‘toboggan’ (McCrum 124), ‘bayou’ (Algeo 188), ‘pemmican’ and ‘caribou’ (Algeo 188). The first refers to a sleigh, the second to “a sluggish or stagnant stream” (Algeo 207), the third is the term for “beaten or pounded meat mixed with melted animal fat and, sometimes berries, […]” (Canadianisms), and the latter refers to the North American reindeer. Later these words would make their way into American English and are still in use today. In such cases, French has acted as a “carrier language” (Hughes 367) which has, metaphorically speaking, taken words from one language and put them into another. Although these words are not French in origin, they entered American English by way of French.
Apart from this, the French explorers gave their own French names to objects they were not familiar with from their mother country. These were mostly words for topography, like ‘butte’ (McCrum 124), referring to “a hill that is flat on top and is separate from other high ground” (Oxford), ‘levee’ (McCrum, 124), which is “a derivative of French ‘lever’”, meaning ‘to raise’ (Pyles 54), and relates to “an embankment to protect low farm lands from high river levels” (Algeo 207), ‘crevasse’ (McCrum, 124), which means “a deep open crack, especially in ice” (Oxford) but it also used to refer to “a break in a levee” (Pyles 195), and ‘rapids’ (Mencken 151), which refers to a “part of a river where the water flows very fast […]” (Oxford).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the historical presence of the French language in North America and sets the scope for investigating its influence on American and Canadian English.
2. Historical Background: This section details the exploration and colonization efforts of France in the New World, establishing the context for language contact between French settlers, indigenous tribes, and British colonists.
3. French Influence on American English: This chapter analyzes how French traces manifested in the U.S. through proper names, vocabulary, linguistic assimilation, and idiomatic expressions derived from French culture.
4. French Influence specially on Canadian English: This chapter explores the unique bilingual environment of Canada and how the official status of French continues to shape Canadian English vocabulary and usage.
5. Conclusion: This chapter reflects on the findings, suggesting that while French influence is profound, the process of Americanization continues to veil these historical linguistic traces.
Keywords
French influence, American English, Canadian English, historical linguistics, loanwords, semantic drift, colonization, Quebec, linguistic assimilation, folk etymology, topography, vocabulary, sociolinguistics, language contact, New France.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The study examines the historical and linguistic legacy left by French exploration and colonization in North America, specifically how it shaped the lexicon and idiomatic expressions of American and Canadian English.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the historical background of "New France," the adaptation of French loanwords into English, the influence on proper naming conventions, and the impact of bilingualism in Canada.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to illustrate how French language contact resulted in the integration of specific vocabulary and phrases into American English and to explore the different stages of assimilation.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses historical-linguistic analysis and literature review, drawing on historical documentation and census data to support linguistic claims.
What does the main body cover?
It provides a chronological and thematic overview, starting with historical background, followed by sections on proper names, vocabulary, semantic changes, phrases, and a comparative look at Canadian English.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Relevant keywords include French influence, American English, Canadian English, linguistic assimilation, loanwords, and semantic drift.
How does the concept of "collision" manifest in Canadian English?
Collision occurs when a French and English word are similar in form but differ in meaning, leading Quebec English speakers to sometimes adopt the French meaning for the English term.
What role does folk etymology play in this document?
The work highlights how speakers often altered French words or names based on a mistaken belief of their origin, resulting in "transmogrifications" like 'Rotten Row' from 'Route de Roi'.
How did the card game poker influence the American lexicon?
The document explains that many common English idioms, such as "passing the buck" or "having an ace up one's sleeve," originated from the terminology used by Mississippi riverboat gamblers who adopted the game from French colonists.
- Quote paper
- Miriam Weinmann (Author), 2007, French Influence on American English Lexis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/73869
