French mistress ... | ExpatWoman.com
 

French mistress ...

1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 21:00
Thank you for the lesson in Norman French. It's just French... it's only the Normans who got to us... but then we took over a third of France a few centuries later. In fact, it's said that Richard the Lionheart barely spoke English at all...
1340
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 20:11
So.......how do you explain MRS (Mistress abbreviated) as the title for married women? Not power per se, more a mark of respect. Incidentally, at my very correct school in England, the French mistress was known as Madame.......... She is the mistress of her household. That's why, in the UK, only nobility get referred to as ma'am (shortened form of Madam = Madame = My Lady), unless you want to mock them by inferring that she has designs above her station, in which case it's "she's a right little madam"... highly ironic then, the favoured phrase of maids here... Anyhow, in France, it's slightly different, in that people don't call each other Mister or Mistress, but Monsieur (translates as My Sir/ Sire) or Madame (My Lady, as discussed)... The difference harks back, again, to the fact that the invaders who became the English nobility actually weren't that posh, but to the native Brits, sounded so... exotic. The meat-words are testimony to that really... In French it'd be "ah, je veux manger du mouton!" which the direct English translation would be "ah, I want to eat some sheep"... but to the up'n'coming masses it transformed into a word disassociated with the actual farm animal. Thank you for the lesson in Norman French.
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 20:09
So.......how do you explain MRS (Mistress abbreviated) as the title for married women? Not power per se, more a mark of respect. Incidentally, at my very correct school in England, the French mistress was known as Madame.......... She is the mistress of her household. That's why, in the UK, only nobility get referred to as ma'am (shortened form of Madam = Madame = My Lady), unless you want to mock them by inferring that she has designs above her station, in which case it's "she's a right little madam"... highly ironic then, the favoured phrase of maids here... Anyhow, in France, it's slightly different, in that people don't call each other Mister or Mistress, but Monsieur (translates as My Sir/ Sire) or Madame (My Lady, as discussed)... The difference harks back, again, to the fact that the invaders who became the English nobility actually weren't that posh, but to the native Brits, sounded so... exotic. The meat-words are testimony to that really... In French it'd be "ah, je veux manger du mouton!" which the direct English translation would be "ah, I want to eat some sheep"... but to the up'n'coming masses it transformed into a word disassociated with the actual farm animal.
1340
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 19:38
So.......how do you explain MRS (Mistress abbreviated) as the title for married women? Not power per se, more a mark of respect. Incidentally, at my very correct school in England, the French mistress was known as Madame..........
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 19:31
no... the French is the feminine form of "master" - as in master of the house, school master, etc..., which is "maitre"... so "maitresse", or "mistress" in English (which has French roots due to the fact that the Normans conquered us in 1066 and so most of the nobility was French, or at least spoke fluent french, so by consequence, French words were considered rather swish and entered common English language (just like "beef" (=boeuf), p0rk (=porc) and mutton (=mouton)...) So mistress is just the female master... nothing kinky! lol Isn't that wot I said? Kind of! Madame is actually "My Lady", which is I guess the sign of respect, whereas Maitresse has a connotation of power.
1340
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 19:27
no... the French is the feminine form of "master" - as in master of the house, school master, etc..., which is "maitre"... so "maitresse", or "mistress" in English (which has French roots due to the fact that the Normans conquered us in 1066 and so most of the nobility was French, or at least spoke fluent french, so by consequence, French words were considered rather swish and entered common English language (just like "beef" (=boeuf), p0rk (=porc) and mutton (=mouton)...) So mistress is just the female master... nothing kinky! lol Isn't that wot I said?
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 19:19
no... the French is the feminine form of "master" - as in master of the house, school master, etc..., which is "maitre"... so "maitresse", or "mistress" in English (which has French roots due to the fact that the Normans conquered us in 1066 and so most of the nobility was French, or at least spoke fluent french, so by consequence, French words were considered rather swish and entered common English language (just like "beef" (=boeuf), p0rk (=porc) and mutton (=mouton)...) So mistress is just the female master... nothing kinky! lol
435
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 19:12
I understand! mistress is the feminine form of mister. Nice learning at all ages in any environment, thanks for sharing ;)
1340
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:59
Yes but you wouldn't say the French Mistress though. You would say French teacher. Mistress tends to be used on its own in English and is not very common nowadays: Mrs is short for.................Mistress. A term of respect for a married woman, or a woman in a position of respect. And it means the same as Madame................which in English has equally risque connotations. <em>edited by Livelytrish on 13/04/2011</em>
3804
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:50
Yes but you wouldn't say the French Mistress though. You would say French teacher. Mistress tends to be used on its own in English and is not very common nowadays: LOL go and read her description - she's French, schoolmistress in it's origin is French. She's worked as a teacher and has many years experience. Just people dirty minds reading more into it, than there actually is.
3804
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:48
My own apologies then and ... what is the origin of school mistress then? The definition of 'schoolmistress' is someone who literally teaches school! Usually the term is used for those who work in boarding schools.
213
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:48
Yes but you wouldn't say the French Mistress though. You would say French teacher. Mistress tends to be used on its own in English and is not very common nowadays:
435
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:46
My own apologies then and ... what is the origin of school mistress then?
3804
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:44
er in some stricter schools the teachers are known as Mistresses - so no it's not a fault in translation. Where do you think the term 'school mistress' comes from? <em>edited by Chocs01 on 13/04/2011</em>
435
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 18:39
Some straight translations are really not working lol http://dubai.dubizzle.com/jobs/education/2011/3/25/maitresse-de-francais-2/?back=am9icy9lZHVjYXRpb24v&ps=2&page=2&keywords=+french
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY