Question for French-speakers

[Grumpy Cat]

Do you get offended when English-speakers say "pardon my French" before they swear?

Interesting discussion on an Acadian forum, decided I'd bring it here.

I never thought of it as offensive, never really cared though. Some people do find it offensive. Honestly never thought of it that way.

[Loki]

Interesting, I never thought of it in this way. But thinking about it, I can understand that it might be offensive to French people.

In my experience the expression is widely used in England.

[Grumpy Cat]

Interesting, I never thought of it in this way. But thinking about it, I can understand that it might be offensive to French people.

In my experience the expression is widely used in England.

Well, the OP of the topic on the Acadian forum punched the guy who said it. :lol:

I know the guy IRL, and it surprised me because I never pictured him punching anyone.

[Atlas]

They are all a bunch of dumb motherfuckers, pardon my English.

[Wölfin]

I never really found it particularly insulting, however I always found it strange.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Why do people say "pardon my French"? Does the French curse a lot or?

[Loki]

Syphilis was called "the French disease", but seems it was a tit-for-tat insult, depending on where you came from. ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis#History



... syphilis had been called the "French disease" in Italy, Poland and Germany, and the "Italian disease" in France. In addition, the Dutch called it the "Spanish disease", the Russians called it the "Polish disease", the Turks called it the "Christian disease" or "Frank disease" (frengi) and the Tahitians called it the "British disease". These "national" names are due to the disease often being spread by foreign sailors and soldiers during their frequent sexual contact with local prostitutes.

[Treffie]

I enjoy discovering the etymologies of phrases, found this which relates to the use of French amongst Russian aristocracy. Don't know how true it is though


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!"

Dubious source (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/232360.html)

[Osweo]

I enjoy discovering the etymologies of phrases, found this which relates to the use of French amongst Russian aristocracy. Don't know how true it is though

:p

It was just for the same reason that Gibbon wrote all the naughty bits in Latin, for decorum's sake. The Russian nobles just didn't want the serfs knowing what filthy stuff they were on about!


Oh, and only Gaybos, Jewboys and Nignogs get offended by shit stuff like 'mind your French'. ;)

THere are several similar phrases in English, datable by reference to who we were at war with at the time - Dutch Courage, German Measles...

[Sol Invictus]

They are all a bunch of dumb motherfuckers, pardon my English.

This.

[The Ripper]

One of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

[Aemma]

Do you get offended when English-speakers say "pardon my French" before they swear?

Interesting discussion on an Acadian forum, decided I'd bring it here.

I never thought of it as offensive, never really cared though. Some people do find it offensive. Honestly never thought of it that way.

Je suis de la même opinion.:thumb001:

[MagnaLaurentia]

Je ne me sens pas offusqué... Je dirais même que ça me fait rire quand les Anglais disent ça... Je les comprends d'ailleurs! L'Anglais est une langue qui possède plusieurs mots Français... Les Britanniques ont essayé durant plusieurs années de parler le Français... et ils n'ont pas réussis... :D Donc ça donné naissance à l'Anglais... :D Il est donc normal qu'ils s'excusent d'avoir un mauvais Français! :D

[Allenson]

Ha-ha, that's a funny one. Sorry Francophones. ;)

I always thought that it was a sort of ironic phrase and was meant to be said with a wink--meaning, that when someone says it, they're nodding to the fact that they don't really know French at all and are speaking nothing but good, plain English when they say what the fuck?

[Sahson]

Je ne me sens pas offusqué... Je dirais même que ça me fait rire quand les Anglais disent ça... Je les comprends d'ailleurs! L'Anglais est une langue qui possède plusieurs mots Français... Les Britanniques ont essayé durant plusieurs années de parler le Français... et ils n'ont pas réussis... :D Donc ça donné naissance à l'Anglais... :D Il est donc normal qu'ils s'excusent d'avoir un mauvais Français! :D

oui, c'est vrai, même que je dis beaucoup de mots français, ou des mots qui sont venus du vieux français, latin ou en français. Mon cousin me traite de mauviette parce que je ne parle pas "normal" comme elle, parce qu'elle utilise les mots germaniques, ou les mots de la naissance Allemand. :D