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verification. (February 2024) |
A belgicism ( French: belgicisme) is a word, expression, or turn of phrase that is unique to or associated with Belgian French. [1] Even though the French spoken in Belgium is closer to the French spoken in France than the French spoken by Québécois, there are a considerable number of words and phrases that have disappeared from common usage in other Francophone nations that remain common in everyday Belgian speech.
Certain words used in Belgium that are not used in Standard French are also found in northern France and in Switzerland, for example chicon (' endive') and septante ('seventy', unlike the vigesimal soixante-dix, or 'sixty-ten', used in France.) In these cases, these words are sometimes not classified as being solely belgicisms.
Belgium has three national official languages, and consequently, the French spoken in the French part of Belgium is considerably under the influence of the languages of the other Belgian regions, and is also enriched by vocabulary from the languages of neighbouring countries. In addition, there's also influence from English on Belgian-French distinct from its influence on French-French (e.g., the word boiler is not used in Metropolitan French).
Belgian French is also influenced by vocabulary from other regional Romance languages, such as Picard, Walloon, Lorrain and Champenois. [1] Belgicisms directly influenced by Walloon are specifically called Wallonisms.
One can point to:
Belgicism | Flemish | Metropolitan French | English |
---|---|---|---|
à tantôt | tot later | à tout à l'heure | see you later |
aller à la toilette | naar het toilet gaan | aller aux toilettes | to go to the toilet |
s'astruquer | verslikken | s'étrangler | to choke drinking something |
au matin | deze morgen | ce matin | this morning |
auto-scooter [1] | botsauto | auto-tamponneuse | bumper car |
brosser un cours | brossen, spijbelen | sécher un cours | to skip class |
patates | aardappelen, patatten | pommes de terre | potatoes |
canule | slechte voetballer | chèvre | terrible football player |
carabistouilles | stommigheden | bêtises | antics, silly things |
carrousel | draaimolen, carrousel | manège forain | carrousel |
chicon | witloof | endive | chicory, Belgian endive |
co-koter | samenwonen | partager un logement étudiant | to have a roommate (usually students) |
couque | koek | viennoiserie | sweet bun |
dikkenek | dikkenek (literally: fat neck) | vantard | braggart |
divan | sofa, zetel | canapé | sofa |
douf ("Il fait douf!") | heet | chaleur étouffante ("il fait très chaud") | asphyxiating heat |
drache | stortregen | averse | heavy rain |
endéans | binnen | dans l'intervalle de (durée, distance) | within a time interval, distance |
écolage | opleiding | apprentissage | training |
farde | binder | classeur | binder |
GSM | gsm | téléphone portable | mobile/cell phone |
kot | kot | petit studio d'étudiant | digs; student residence |
(avoir des) crolles | krullen hebben | (avoir les) cheveux bouclés | (to have) curly hair |
lait russe ("Russian milk") | koffie verkeerd | café renversé, café au lait | café au lait, latte |
nonante | negentig | quatre-vingt-dix | ninety |
septante | zeventig | soixante-dix | seventy |
spéce | speciaal, ongewoon | spécial, bizarre | special; unusual |
tapis-plein | tapis-plein | moquette | carpet |
toquer | "nen toek geven", kloppen | frapper à la porte | to knock |
torchon | dweil | serpillière | floorcloth |
essui | badhanddoek | serviette de bain | bath towel |
volle gaz | volle gas | rapidement | quickly (full steam ahead) |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (February 2024) |
A belgicism ( French: belgicisme) is a word, expression, or turn of phrase that is unique to or associated with Belgian French. [1] Even though the French spoken in Belgium is closer to the French spoken in France than the French spoken by Québécois, there are a considerable number of words and phrases that have disappeared from common usage in other Francophone nations that remain common in everyday Belgian speech.
Certain words used in Belgium that are not used in Standard French are also found in northern France and in Switzerland, for example chicon (' endive') and septante ('seventy', unlike the vigesimal soixante-dix, or 'sixty-ten', used in France.) In these cases, these words are sometimes not classified as being solely belgicisms.
Belgium has three national official languages, and consequently, the French spoken in the French part of Belgium is considerably under the influence of the languages of the other Belgian regions, and is also enriched by vocabulary from the languages of neighbouring countries. In addition, there's also influence from English on Belgian-French distinct from its influence on French-French (e.g., the word boiler is not used in Metropolitan French).
Belgian French is also influenced by vocabulary from other regional Romance languages, such as Picard, Walloon, Lorrain and Champenois. [1] Belgicisms directly influenced by Walloon are specifically called Wallonisms.
One can point to:
Belgicism | Flemish | Metropolitan French | English |
---|---|---|---|
à tantôt | tot later | à tout à l'heure | see you later |
aller à la toilette | naar het toilet gaan | aller aux toilettes | to go to the toilet |
s'astruquer | verslikken | s'étrangler | to choke drinking something |
au matin | deze morgen | ce matin | this morning |
auto-scooter [1] | botsauto | auto-tamponneuse | bumper car |
brosser un cours | brossen, spijbelen | sécher un cours | to skip class |
patates | aardappelen, patatten | pommes de terre | potatoes |
canule | slechte voetballer | chèvre | terrible football player |
carabistouilles | stommigheden | bêtises | antics, silly things |
carrousel | draaimolen, carrousel | manège forain | carrousel |
chicon | witloof | endive | chicory, Belgian endive |
co-koter | samenwonen | partager un logement étudiant | to have a roommate (usually students) |
couque | koek | viennoiserie | sweet bun |
dikkenek | dikkenek (literally: fat neck) | vantard | braggart |
divan | sofa, zetel | canapé | sofa |
douf ("Il fait douf!") | heet | chaleur étouffante ("il fait très chaud") | asphyxiating heat |
drache | stortregen | averse | heavy rain |
endéans | binnen | dans l'intervalle de (durée, distance) | within a time interval, distance |
écolage | opleiding | apprentissage | training |
farde | binder | classeur | binder |
GSM | gsm | téléphone portable | mobile/cell phone |
kot | kot | petit studio d'étudiant | digs; student residence |
(avoir des) crolles | krullen hebben | (avoir les) cheveux bouclés | (to have) curly hair |
lait russe ("Russian milk") | koffie verkeerd | café renversé, café au lait | café au lait, latte |
nonante | negentig | quatre-vingt-dix | ninety |
septante | zeventig | soixante-dix | seventy |
spéce | speciaal, ongewoon | spécial, bizarre | special; unusual |
tapis-plein | tapis-plein | moquette | carpet |
toquer | "nen toek geven", kloppen | frapper à la porte | to knock |
torchon | dweil | serpillière | floorcloth |
essui | badhanddoek | serviette de bain | bath towel |
volle gaz | volle gas | rapidement | quickly (full steam ahead) |