Pardon my French

[subterranean]

I'm curios, why people often said that when they swore or said bad words?
Also, when people don't understand a language, they sometime said, "It's all Greek to me". Why Greek? Is it because the words?

[Virgil]

Hi Sub. Good questions. I'm going to speculate here, so don't take this for a fact. The French are a more sexually free people, at least in the past, compared to the English speaking people, so sex words got associated with the French. Plausible? Greek is a strange sounding language to western Europeans in that it is not Germanic or Romance language in heritage. So one couldn't understand even a word. Plausible? Really just guesses on my part. If anyone knows for sure I would be interested.

[bluevictim]

I don't know either, but I thought I read somewhere that the sentiment behind "It's Greek to me" can be traced back to Medieval scholars who could read Latin texts but not Greek texts.

[subterranean]

Hi, Virg and thank you, Virg .

You probably have a point there about the French. There's a line in Burgess' Earthly Powers, which I think support your opinion.

Kenneth, the main character in the book, is a writer with list of books that are considered "immoral". One night, Ken's mom said to him,

'Mrs Hanson took it from the circulating library and was rude to me about it. Of course, because I'm French she thinks that I have brought you up to be immoral.'

Note: emphasize added.

Ken's dad is English. But I'm still not really sure about the reason.

[Virgil]

I don't know either, but I thought I read somewhere that the sentiment behind "It's Greek to me" can be traced back to Medieval scholars who could read Latin texts but not Greek texts.

Oh, that sounds plausible.

[ShoutGrace]

I'm curios, why people often said that when they swore or said bad words?

“It's a late 19th century euphemism
which first appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1895.”


“It is thought that the term French is employed in this sense as it
already had a history of association with things considered vulgar.
As far back as the early 16th century, French pox and the French
disease were synonyms for genital herpes, and French-sick was another
term for syphillis. The OED [Oxford English Dictionary] also equates
the adjective French with "spiciness", as in French letter for
"condom", French kiss (1923) and French (i. e. "sexually explicit")
novels (from 1749).”



“This phrase is simply another of the many American and English
expressions that equate anything French with sex and obscenity. French
postcards, French novels and French kissing connote the risque.
"Pardon my French" started circulating on both sides of the Atlantic
around 1916, and almost certainly stems from the World War I escapades
of American and British soldiers.”



“This is a result of racial stereotyping -
Anglo-Saxons of the late 19th century blamed the French for anything
remotely dirty. The belief started in the mid 19th century and held
that was France sex-obsessed and pornographic.”


“If you read classic Russian literature you'll notice that they speak
in French when they want to use any sort of coarser language. This was
of course limited to the Russian aristrocracy who were more educated
and had the ability to become bilingual. The idea was that they didn't
want to sully the mother tongue with cuss words and such, and so they
spoke in French on these occasions. I can't say for sure, but I'd
assume that this fiction mirrored reality in the use of this language.
Quite literal example of needing to say ‘pardon my French!’”


“Actually I understand that "pardon my french" referred to the f word
which means "seal" in french. When people would say FCK, they would
say "Pardon my French" because it IS a french word. It morphed into "pardon my french" for ANY swear word but that is not correct. Pardon my french should only be used for the F word because that really is a french word.”

Also, when people don't understand a language, they sometime said, "It's all Greek to me". Why Greek? Is it because the words?

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar:

BRUTUS. And after that he came, thus sad, away?
CASCA. Ay.
CASSIUS. Did Cicero say anything?
CASCA. Ay, he spoke Greek.
CASSIUS. To what effect?
CASCA. Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' the face again; but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but for mine own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar's images, are put to silence. Fare you well.

[Virgil]

“This is a result of racial stereotyping -
Anglo-Saxons of the late 19th century blamed the French for anything
remotely dirty. The belief started in the mid 19th century and held
that was France sex-obsessed and pornographic.” [/I]

You mean they're not? Only kidding.


Kudos to Shoutgrace on this research. Excellent work!

[cuppajoe_9]

Actually I understand that "pardon my french" referred to the f word
which means "seal" in french. When people would say FCK, they would
say "Pardon my French" because it IS a french word.

'Seal' in french is 'un foc', pronounced somewhere between the popular english curse and the word 'folk'. I'm not sure I buy that etymology. I like your earlier explaination of 'french=bad' above.

and French-sick was another term for syphillis.

And the French called it la maladie anglais (the English disease). The Portugese and the Brazilians similarly blamed it on one another.

[subterranean]

......the long clear anwers to my questions..........

Thank you, my dear mate!

Here's your reward.




Bon appétit!

[ShoutGrace]

Ah, it will be a pumpkin warmup for Thanksgiving!

[Madhuri]

Thank you, my dear mate!

Here's your reward.




Bon appétit!

*Drooling* *thinking why did I not come up with such an explanation* *Will Shout have all of it?* *Is it possible that he takes a bite and let me have the rest? *

[OZEED]

Well done on the explanations, I found an insightful read.
You learn everyday.
Kudos!