Comments | australienne: Words about Words

australienne

Words about Words

Nov 23, 2003 23:22

I've just finished reading Don Watson's Death Sentence, about the decay of public language. You have to applaud someone who is willing to say that "John Howard's Dear Fellow Australian letter might have been been written by Harold the shopkeeper in 'Neighbours': if ever there was a chap to say Alert but not alarmed, it is Harold" (page 159 ( Read more... )

Comments 4

anonymous December 26 2003, 11:02:35 UTC

Sorry, have to post anonymously, I don't have a Live Journal.

I stumbled over yours via a discussion about HP fanfiction. Shouldn't lurk, sorry. I hope you don't mind. I really liked what you had to say, so I finally ended over here.

Just thought you should know: the French word for entrepreneur is entrepreneur. *ahem*. I even think we frogs may have had it first - but I'm not sure and very unwilling to enter into any sort of pissing contest with George W. unless I am actually allowed to aim him *g*

Catherine

anonymous December 26 2003, 12:22:39 UTC

Drat and bother. One should never attempt to write quickly in a foreign language. Actually, scratch that. One should never write too quickly and without re-reading, period.

anyway. aim AT him, of course. and enter a contest. Phhhew.
*going to bed*

australienne December 26 2003, 23:05:29 UTC

Just thought you should know: the French word for entrepreneur is entrepreneur. *ahem*. I even think we frogs may have had it first - but I'm not sure and very unwilling to enter into any sort of pissing contest with George W. unless I am actually allowed to aim him *g*

Oh, I know. (I speak some French - very, very badly, though I can read it fairly well.) I was just desperately hoping that one of the most powerful men in the world *hadn't* been quite that stupid. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Unfortunately, our PM's turned into Shrub's annoying little shadow, so I'd very much like to throw something (what's a suitably gluggy French dessert?) at both of them.

Nice to meet you, by the way.

anonymous December 27 2003, 18:25:39 UTC

Nice to meet you too. There's nothing like the internet to meet people from all over the world that you share interests with (I like Ute Lemper and Bertold Brecht a lot - being half German, so there ;o) )

Shrub *g*
There's a Belgian fellow who specializes in throwing good old classic "tartes à la crème" into famous people's faces, maybe you should go for that. I'm sure he'd even be delighted to help you - and me too. He calls himself "l'entarteur". You may have heard about him, he had a go at Bill Gates - whose bodyguards were NOT amused.

Curiosity got the better of me and I checked in the dictionary: entrepreneur is indeed borrowed from the French, where it has been used in that context since *ahem* circa 1430. Methinks Mr. Bush should do us all a favor and go back to school. Preferably starting all over again with grade one *g*

I'm going away for 2 weeks (vacation - yay!), but I'll come by when I'm back if you don't mind. Take care!

Catherine