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Bavarde, commérages: how to describe having a chat or gossip in French
One phrase has its origins in the 16th century and could easily be mistranslated
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Tati, toutou, toc-toc: French and its love of doubled-up words
We look at common phrases and words using repetition and Connexion readers share their examples
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What does à la Saint-Glinglin mean and when should it be used?
This phrase is useful for people who tend to procrastinate or make empty promises
What is the tilde in Breton?
I read about a Breton family winning a court battle to keep the tilde on their son’s Breton name Fañch. In Spanish, this alters the sound of the letter N. What does it do in Breton? S.B.
In Breton, this accent usually “nasalises” the preceding vowel so the sound is placed more in the nose.
The parents of the child told Le Télégramme the name sounds, with Breton pronunciation, like planche (with a nasal n) but without the accent the vowel would sound like an open “O” as in Octobre (or as it might be pronounced with an English accent).
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