French influence
Kron


•English has borrowed so many words from the French that someone once half-seriously claimed that
English is little more than French badly pronounced.
•Some of these words have kept their original spelling, while others have become so Anglicized you
may not recognize them as originally French.
•Nearly half of English French borrowings came into English before the 19th century; thereafter,
the adaptations tended to be of a more literaly nature.
•However, a little bit of french goes a long way; its overuse can make the speaker or writer seem
affected and pretentious.
•But French terms can lend both elegance and precision to your self-expression, as well as a
certain charm, or what the French call je ne sais quoi (literally „I don‘t know what“) – an
indefinable stylish quality that enhances your presentation of yourself.

French borrowings used in contemporary English: