Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!maytag!aries5!giguere From: giguere@aries5.uucp (Eric Giguere) Newsgroups: can.general Subject: Re: French programming languages Message-ID: <424@maytag.waterloo.edu> Date: 30 Aug 89 14:17:57 GMT References: <89Aug3.145600edt.10404@neat.cs.toronto.edu> <2587@gandalf.UUCP> <422@maytag.waterloo.edu> Sender: daemon@maytag.waterloo.edu Reply-To: giguere@aries5.waterloo.edu (Eric Giguere) Distribution: can Organization: Computer Systems Group, University of Waterloo Lines: 29 In article kim@watsup.waterloo.edu (T. Kim Nguyen) writes: >In article <422@maytag.waterloo.edu> giguere@aries5.uucp (Eric Giguere) writes: >The problem is that ARRET (while it is indeed a valid word) is a NOUN. >In French (unlike English), one does not usually use a NOUN as a VERB >(imperative form). STOP is indeed the imperative form of a verb >(stopper), and so it makes sense to order someone to stop. The way I look at it is that the sign is identifying "un arret", so you have to stop. I don't think you need it to be in a verb form. >The comparison with English (Canadian vs American) is flawed, since in >English it is quite common for people to use nouns as verbs and vice >versa. Also, there is no definitive standard for English, while there >is one for the French language. The comparison is just as valid. For some reason people expect the French spoken in Canada to be the same as the French spoken in France. This is an unreasonable expectation. Also, the "definitive standard" you're referring to is probably L'Academie in France, right? Well, the Academie is NOT a standard outside of France. Quebec has l'Office de la langue francaise and a couple of other organizations devoted to the preservation of the (Canadian/Quebecois) French language. Dictionaries of Canadian French also exist. Eric Giguere 268 Phillip St #CL-46 For the curious: it's French ("jee-gair") Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6G9 Bitnet : GIGUERE at WATCSG (519) 746-6565 Internet: giguere@aries5.UWaterloo.ca "Nothing but urges from HELL!!"