![]() ![]() In particular: mispronunciation and misuse (including ostentatious display). This rhapsody to le mot juste should be tempered with a word of caution. And what of ciao (chow), which means both "hello" and "good-bye." Or the subtle, silken sound of au revoir (oh-ruh-VWAR) that lingers long after you have gone. After making the acquaintance of arrivederce, a mere "good-bye" is unthinkable. And speaking of rolling off the tongue, try taking your leave with arrivederce (ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee), drawing out each delicious syllable like a never-ending string of spaghetti. It not only sounds luscious, it feels luscious as it rolls off the tongue. Consider the pronunciation of le mot juste (luh-moh-ZHUST). For example, when confronted with someone's litany of woe, you could look to the heavens and sigh "Kismet!" Or you could utter "Really," a banal retort in widespread use.Īnother fascination of le mot juste is the sound. The choice of a word, even one single word, especially if it is le mot juste, can make immeasurable difference. The risk is worth taking, for le mot juste, rendered with accuracy and flair, can add color to an otherwise drab exchange of words, bestow jauntiness on the plainest of mortals and crown imaginative users with panache. Once you acquire a taste for le mot juste, it can become a habit, even an obsession. And we avoid a stream of invective by referring to an incorrigible child (who may be an adult) as enfant terrible. We describe our world-weary friends as blase' and our elegant friends as chic. Graffiti is what we call the writing on the wall in public places. We all speak of Achilles' heel-no doubt because we all have one. Even the faint of heart garnish conversations with such confections as comme ci, comme c,a c'est la vie je ne sais quoi, and touche'. Thanks to Julia Child, we say "Bon appe'tit!" before dinner. Many convey the desired shade of meaning with such precision that they have been incorporated in English without translation, thereby preserving their piquancy. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines mot juste as "the expression that conveys a desired shade of meaning with more precision than any other." Numerous foreign words and phrases, culled from many of the languages of the world, are used widely in English. The cre me de la cre me.Īctually, le mot juste may be more than one word or a phrase. For le mot juste is the caviar of word fare. ![]() ![]() Not, however, when the word is what the French call le mot juste-the exact word. Words, words, endless words! At times the most ardent word lover longs for silence. Helen Riches has had acquaintance with many languages. ![]()
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