I know, I know that today we say all the time "Salut!" instead of "Bonjour!". But at least "Bonjour!" definitely sounds French, while "Salut"... well... where does this word come from?
I know, I know that today we say all the time "Salut!" instead of "Bonjour!". But at least "Bonjour!" definitely sounds French, while "Salut"... well... where does this word come from?
"Salut" is very French. It comes from Latin salus, salutis. It is also used in Catalan.
Now I see. It does come from Latin, that ending -ut was strange for a French word. Of course, it is widely used in French like any other linguistic loan which then acquires a new whole life.
There is a law, however, that recommends to use as many French words as possible without linguistic loans from English since in the last years French has adopted many English words. This Toubon act (1994) was passed because it is believed that la France s'anglicise. The impact is apparent in marketing, for example.
Has anybody had any comments about this act?
Last edited by reminder; 10-03-2017 at 10:37 AM.
This act may seem radical, but it's understandable because people prefer to use a borrowed word because it's "chic".
This act was the result of serious legal problems. There are lots of immigrants working in France who do not speak French properly and their mother tongue is very very different from French. These immigrants were made to sign binding documents in English, and legal issues were discussed in French courts.
Of course, reality forced to pass an act about this ongoing situation.
Lorsque l'emploi qui fait l'objet du contrat ne peut être désigné que par un terme étranger sans correspondant en français, le contrat de travail doit comporter une explication en français du terme étranger.
Lorsque le salarié est étranger et le contrat constaté par écrit, une traduction du contrat est rédigée, à la demande du salarié, dans la langue de ce dernier. Les deux textes font également foi en justice. En cas de discordance entre les deux textes, seul le texte rédigé dans la langue du salarié étranger peut être invoqué contre ce dernier.
L'employeur ne pourra se prévaloir à l'encontre du salarié auquel elles feraient grief des clauses d'un contrat de travail conclu en violation du présent article.
Tout document comportant des obligations pour le salarié ou des dispositions dont la connaissance est nécessaire à celui-ci pour l'exécution de son travail doit être rédigé en français. Il peut être accompagné de traductions en une ou plusieurs langues étrangères.
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