當英語遇上法語

在任何語言的發展過程中，都會有很多外來詞匯的融入使其更加豐富多彩。英語自然也不例外，當中有不少法語外來詞。在本期的《小詞大義》中，就讓我們一起來看看英語中有哪些法語外來詞吧。

Mayday is an emergency code 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.

Mayday has nothing to do with the month of May. It comes from the French expressions “venez m’aider，” or “m’aidez，” which mean “help me.”

Frederick Stanley Mockford created the mayday call signal in the 1920s. 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

“Mayday”一詞與“May”（五月）沒有任何的聯系，實際上，它是國際通用的無線電通話遇難求救信號。“Mayday”來源于法語詞“venez m’aider”或 “m’aidez”，是“help me（救我）”的意思，引用為英文發音就成了“Mayday”。

該詞用作求救信號源于1923年，一個名叫Federick Stanley Mockford的英國人在倫敦的Croydon機場任職無線電報務員。機場要求他提出一個簡單易明的詞給所有機師和地勤工作人員在緊急求救時使用。當時機場的航班多數來往于倫敦與法國巴黎，所以他提出源自法文詞“m’aider”的“Mayday”。

如今，“Mayday”一詞仍在使用，在發出該信號時，必須連續呼叫三次以免誤聽、被噪音蓋過或與其他通訊信號混淆。

time was between Croydon Airport and Le Bourget Airport near Paris， France. So he proposed the word mayday.

Today， many groups use the word 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 words is even in The Special English Word Book. It is sabotage. It means to damage or destroy as an act of subversion against an organization or nation.

You may have heard the term laissez-faire to describe a kind of economic or political policy. It means to leave alone and not interfere. It was first used in France in the eighteenth century.

In the business world， entrepreneur 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 1950s. Anything in art， music or literature which is very modern or ahead of its time is called avant-garde.

If you are looking for a job， you must prepare your résumé. This document lists all of your education， skills and experience. Something that is one of a kind and like no other thing is called unique.

The French are famous for their food. All cooks need to know how to sauté. This is frying something quickly in a small amount of oil or butter. 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.

“sabotage”源于法語詞，是指顛覆一個組織或國家的破壞行為。

“laissez-faire”一詞源自18世紀的法國，意為自由主義，是一個經濟或政治政策術語，指的是放任不加干預。

“enterpreneur”在商業領域中使用，是企業家的意思，也就是啟動和經營一項新生意并承擔所有風險的人。

在藝術領域，也有很多法語詞匯，如“a flim noir”，意思是風靡于19世紀四五十年代的黑色電影，指的是關于謀殺和其他犯罪的影片；另外，“avant-garde”是前衛的意思，任何藝術形式包括音樂、文學等的現代感或超前都可以用這個詞來形容。

“résumé”是我們接觸較多的詞語之一，在找工作的時候，必須準備自己的簡歷，“résumé”就是簡歷的意思，這需要在其中列舉出你的教育程度、相關技能和經驗等，同時為了吸引HR的眼球，最好附上自己“unique”的一面，只有與眾不同才能在眾多求職者中脫穎而出。

法國的美食世界聞名，與食物相關的法語詞自然不得不提。“sauté”是一種烹飪方式，指用少量油或黃油快速煎一些食物，也就是我們說的“炒”；在餐廳吃飯時，服務員會對你說“bon appétit”，這是在祝你用餐愉快，相當于“enjoy yourself”的意思；進餐完畢，將要離開餐廳之際，有人會對你說“bon voyage”，可以理解成中文里說的“慢走”的意思，或者是一路順風。