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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010Not unlike the man himself
I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short radio documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. According to the interviewee, a woman who was involved in a production of _Still Life_ (I think that one; I was half-napping at the time), the protagonist was typical of Coward's leading men: slim and swan-gay (at that point I came awake smiling). They don't do French much, away out there. On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote > I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short > radio documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > point I came awake smiling). They don't do French much, away > out there. After looking at a dictionary and a word-list or two, I give up. (I can't figure out what word she was trying to pronounce.)  SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed > On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > (I can't figure out what word she was trying to pronounce.) I thought 'soigné'. SignatureCheryl >> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >> > I thought 'soigné'. Is that French for "swanky"? SignatureJames James Hogg skrev: > > I thought 'soigné'. > Is that French for "swanky"? No. It's French for "clean". SignatureBertel, Denmark > James Hogg skrev: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > No. It's French for "clean". Not in this part of France it isn't. It means trim or well groomed. (or maybe you're making a joke that I'm too dumb to get.) Incidentally, none of you Danes has answered my question (in another thread) about whether people from Copenhagen are considered to be continentals. Signatureathel >> James Hogg skrev: >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Not in this part of France it isn't. It means trim or well groomed. > (or maybe you're making a joke that I'm too dumb to get.) I think that's what "soigneret" means in Danish too, but I suppose it's hard to be trim and well groomed if you're dirty. > Incidentally, none of you Danes has answered my question (in another > thread) about whether people from Copenhagen are considered to be > continentals. I find that extremely unlikely. But does Bertel feel like a continental because he lives in Jutland? SignatureJames Athel Cornish-Bowden skrev: > Incidentally, none of you Danes has answered my question (in another > thread) about whether people from Copenhagen are considered to be > continentals. I don't consider anybody continental since I really don't know which difference that would make for a person. If we are talking geography, all of Denmark (but not Greenland) is part of the European continent. PS. When threads in this group become very long and I suppose that no further questions will be directed to me, I ignore the remainder of it. My primary interest is the Danish language group, and the German one also takes up some of my time. SignatureBertel, Denmark >>> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >>> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Is that French for "swanky"? Another great variation. >> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >> >I thought 'soigné'. So did I, but only after I had pictured a stereotypical limp-wristed gay man gesturing with his arm in a shape resembling that of a swan's neck and head. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > limp-wristed gay man gesturing with his arm in a shape resembling > that of a swan's neck and head. Ooh, I thought of him sailing smoothly through the world on the arm of Nobility, and feeling pretty damn cheerful about it. Yours is good too, though. >>>> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >>>> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Nobility, and feeling pretty damn cheerful about it. Yours is good > too, though. Bet he had a chaise lounge at home. SignatureMike. >>>>> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Bet he had a chaise lounge at home. But he probably referred to it as the "divin, darling". On 08 Jan 2010, Cheryl wrote >> On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >> > I thought 'soigné'. Ah; that makes sense. (I suspect I was garden-path-led by the reversal of the "n" and "g" sounds.) SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed > On 08 Jan 2010, CDB wrote > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > (I can't figure out what word she was trying to pronounce.) What Cheryl said. I didn't really intend to diss westerners' language skills, or to give anybody Stuck Mariah Syndrome, but only to mention French as a clue. I guess it was still a little obscure. The spoken version was easier to get, since the "n" was pulled back in the mouth by the following "g", in a way that was hard to show while keeping the pun. I have much the same shift as in the word "income", which has the same "retracted" "n" but not the undoubted "ng" (/N/) of "income tax". > I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short radio > documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. According [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > typical of Coward's leading men: slim and swan-gay (at that point I > came awake smiling). They don't do French much, away out there. Could it be: --- Main Entry: soigné, soignée Pronunciation: swaɲe Function: adjective Usage: French word 1 : carefully done, meticulous 2 : well-groomed, neat ---- ? Marius Hancu >> I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short >> radio documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > ---- > ? That was how I took it. Well cared-for, in French. > >> I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short > >> radio documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > 2 : well-groomed, neat > > ---- > That was how I took it. Well cared-for, in French. I'd use "cared-for" if the care/grooming is done by someone else, and "well-groomed" if that's done by himself. Marius Hancu [Coward: cygne or soigne?] >>> Main Entry: soign , soign e >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'd use "cared-for" if the care/grooming is done by someone else, > and "well-groomed" if that's done by himself. I suppose I was being etymological. But you can care for yourself, or groom another, seems to me. Wasn't someone grooming the Omrud a while ago? > [Coward: cygne or soigne?] >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > groom another, seems to me. Wasn't someone grooming the Omrud a while > ago? Son warned me that Roland could be an Internet groomer when I took myself off to London to meet him. But that was a couple of years ago. SignatureDavid >I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short radio > documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. According [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > typical of Coward's leading men: slim and swan-gay (at that point I > came awake smiling). They don't do French much, away out there. Sanguine. Fred filted: >>I heard an interesting pronunciation the other day, in a short radio >> documentary about a Noel Coward revival in western Canada. According [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >Sanguine. That's NBG....r SignatureA pessimist sees the glass as half empty. An optometrist asks whether you see the glass more full like this?...or like this? > Fred filted: >> "CDB" <bellemarec@sympatico.ca> wrote in message: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > That's NBG....r That's harsh, unless you meant National Bank of Greece, as Giggle suggests. I always find a good sluicing and currying will perk me up. |
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