VOA慢速英语2015 词汇典故:美式英语中的常用法语单词

Common French Words in American English 词汇典故:美式英语中的常用法语单词

Now, the VOA Learning¹ English program “Words and Their Stories.”

Bonjour! Just kidding. We are speaking English. But today we are featuring French words that we use in English.      

For example, mayday is an emergency code² word. It is used around the world in voice communications. You might see a war movie in which an airplane has been hit by rocket fire.

The pilot gets on his radio and calls “mayday, mayday, mayday” to tell that his plane is in danger of crashing to the ground.

But mayday has nothing to do with the month of May. It comes from the French expression “(venez) m’aider,” or “m’aidez,” which means “help me.”

Frederick Stanley Mockford created the mayday call signal in the 1920s. Mr. Mockford was a radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He was asked to think of a word that could be used in an emergency. The word had to be easily understood by all pilots and airport workers. Much of the air traffic at that time was between London and Paris. So, he proposed³ the word mayday.

Today, many groups use mayday to mean a life-threatening emergency. The call is always given three times to prevent mistaking it for some similar sounding words.

Many other French words are commonly used in English. One of these is even in the Learning English Word Book. It is sabotage⁴. Sabotage means to destroy or damage as an act of subversion⁵ against an organization or nation. A person who sabotages⁶ is a saboteur. Bad crime, lovely word.

In economics⁷ or politics, you may have heard the term laissez-faire. It means to leave alone and not interfere⁸. It was first used in France in the 18th century.

In the business world, entrepreneur⁹ is another French word. It means a person who starts and operates a new business and has responsibility for any risks involved.

Many French words are used in the arts. For example, a film noir is a movie about murder and other crimes. These films were popular in the 1940s and 50s. Anything in art, music or literature which is very modern or ahead of its time is called avant-garde.

In the arts or any industry you prepare a résumé if you are looking for a job. A résumé documents your education, skills and experience. While every professional needs a résumé, each one is unique. In other words, each is one of kind.

Food is not unique to France, but the French are famous for their food. So, it makes sense that many cooking terms we use in American English are French. All cooks need to know how to sauté. This is frying something quickly in a small amount of oil or butter.

Flambé is a technique by which alcohol¹⁰ is added to a dish and then lit on fire. This is both for effect and to burn off the alcohol. When you are eating at a restaurant, the server may tell you bon appétit, which means good appetite, or enjoy your meal.

And if you go away, someone may wish you bon voyage or have a good trip. This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm ---------------Kelly Jean Kelly.

And I’m Anna Matteo. You can find more “Words and Their Stories” at our Web site, learningenglish.voanews.com.

Au revoir! (Good-bye!)

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 code   

n.代码，代号，密码；法典，法规，规划

参考例句：

• What's the code for Tianjin?天津的代号是多少？
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

3 proposed   

被提议的

参考例句：

• There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions. 员工对改变工资和工作环境的建议普遍不满。
• an outcry over the proposed change 对拟议的改革所发出的强烈抗议

4 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

5 subversion   

n.颠覆，破坏

参考例句：

• He was arrested in parliament on charges of subversion for organizing the demonstration.他因组织示威活动在议会上被以颠覆破坏罪名逮捕。
• It had a cultural identity relatively immune to subversion from neighboring countries.它的文化同一性使它相对地不易被邻国所颠覆。

6 sabotages   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The plastic sheeting used in farmland extremely pollutes and sabotages the soil environment. 农田塑料薄膜（地膜）污染对土壤环境危害很大，覆膜灌溉技术可能会增加其复杂性。

7 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

8 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

9 entrepreneur   

n.企业家，主办人

参考例句：

• The entrepreneur has become a news figure.这位企业家变成了新闻人物。
• The entrepreneur takes business risks in the hope of making a profit.企业家为追求利润而冒险。

10 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。