The Semantic Development of Fairly Common Borrowings
Julia Landmann · 2023
chapter 5 material, a specific semantic application of the French word voile 'veil' (see oed).As to cerise, it specifies a fashionable colour in English, i.e., a shade of red similar to that of a cherry.Again, this is a specialized usage of the French equivalent cerise 'cherry' (see oed).Examples of French-derived culinary terms which were borrowed in a specialized meaning are the nineteenth-century borrowings croissant, éclair and bombe.Croissant, for instance, refers to a type of baker's ware in a curved shape in English, whereas its French equivalent literally translates as 'crescent' .Éclair specifies an elongated item of confectionary in the receiving language.Its French source éclair has a much broader semantic space.Its general meaning is 'lightning' (see tlf).As to bombe, it specifies a variety of frozen dessert with a round shape in English, while the corresponding French source term ressembles the semantics of the English word 'bomb' .The culinary uses of the French original terms were themselves due to metaphorical sense developments within the donor language, resulting from the similarity of the forms of the original referents to the newly designated culinary concepts.A French-derived example from 'love and sexuality' is the adjective risqué.It was introduced into English in 1867 in the meaning of "[s]lightly indecent and liable to shock, esp[ecially] by being sexually suggestive" (oed).The sexual implications of the adjective in English are less predominant in French, where risqué is synonymous with 'risky' .Further examples of French borrowings of which only a sub-meaning was borrowed are related to the fine arts and crafts.The borrowing pointe, for instance, which entered English in 1846, serves as a term in ballet dancing, as in:(285) 2002 C. Lee Ballet in Western Culture vii.142 The ballerina's increasing use of her pointes made her balance more precarious and required highly attentive partnering.(oed) This is a specific semantic application of the French associate pointe 'point' .Similarly, the use of the nineteenth-century borrowing motif as a term for a recurrent trait or characteristic in architecture, literature and music developed from specialized meanings of the French equivalent motif 'motive' .There is also the musical term nocturne, which serves as a term for a certain piece of music in English, while its French associate literally translates as 'nocturn' .Examples of French borrowings from the domain of entertainment and leisure activities are the nineteenth-century borrowings épée and claque, as well as the twentieth-century one auteur.Again, these words were adopted into English in a particular meaning.Épée is a sports term.It was borrowed in 1889,