In the program of Europe 1, "Historically yours", Stéphane Bern looks at the roots of an expression of everyday life.
Once is not customary, he is interested on Thursday in several words at the same time, rare traces of the Gallic languages in the French of 2020.
Stéphane Bern suggests every day, in
Historically yours
with Matthieu Noël, to discover these expressions that we use on a daily basis without necessarily knowing their origin.
Thursday, the host explains to us which are the rare words of the language which draw their origin in the dialects of the Gauls.
By Toutatis !
Let's take a look at the words and expressions from Gallic culture.
First, know that if we take a French dictionary of 60,000 words, only 350 of them come from Gaul.
It is the fault of the Druids, who were wary of the use of writing, but also and especially of the Roman invaders who imposed their language.
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An anti-commercial legacy
It is also amusing to note that the Roman civilization having taken its rise (in particular) thanks to the trade, was at the origin of words designating things which were sold.
Unlike others who escaped sale.
Thus, honey, which is sold, is a Roman word, while beehive, a much less commercial good, is a Gallic word.
In the same logic, the noble vocabulary was monopolized by the invader, where the gloomy things were left to the Gauls.
Mud, soot, clay, beer, scheming, and mobsters are all words of Gallic origin.
As if the Romans had authorized them to give their opponents an unflattering reputation.
Finally, know that the exclamation "By Toutatis!"
is a curse invented from scratch by Uderzo and Goscinny, even though they were strongly inspired by Teutates, an authentic Celtic god.