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Of course there are "double entendres" in French. They can take the form of "sous-entendus" where the same sentence can be interpreted differently depending on
by eeks 10y ago
Of course there are "double entendres" in French.
They can take the form of "sous-entendus" where the same sentence can be interpreted differently depending on the level of knowledge of the listeners for a particular context.
Play-on-words are also widespread, including the "contrepèterie" art form unique to French.
Various form of "argot" (slang) also use identical words bearing different meanings.
All of these are a big part of our second and third degree humour that elude so many foreigners.
This journalist from the BBC does not seem to be much aware of French culture at all.
- pygy_ 10y agoI had to read that sentence twice, it wasn't very clear. I think the journalist meant that "double entendre" doesn't mean anything in French, not that French speaking people don't use double entendre.
- fenomas 10y agoThat passage simply meant that the term "double entendre" isn't used in French.
- eeks 10y agoI went and read that passage again, and I'm sorry but the phrasing is ambiguous. "There is no double entendres in France" literally means that "double entendres" are nowhere to be found in France, which in itself makes no sense. The sentence "there is no double entendres in French" would actually make sense but bears the meaning with which I credited it initially. If the journalist meant "The expression double entendres is borrowed from French but not used in France where it has no meanings" he/she did a poor job phrasing it.
- fenomas 10y agoRead literally it's ambiguous - it could mean either that the concept doesn't exist or the term doesn't. But considering the article is one big list of borrowed phrases that aren't used in their native land, it's pretty clear what the author meant.