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In: FR Langues·Language & Communication·Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #48130.
This work is a scholarly reference guide to French idioms and proverbs, compiled as a companion to Deshumbert’s “Dictionary of Difficulties.” The author opens with a caution to students about the use of “familiar” or “popular” expressions, noting that such forms appear in everyday speech but are rarely found in serious literature. After the warning, the book explains its practical conventions, capital accents for learners, blank pages for future additions, and extensive acknowledgments to educators and scholars who contributed corrections. The entry format is exemplified by the opening alphabetic list, where each phrase is presented with literal translation, contextual meaning, and occasional historical or literary notes, often citing classical sources such as Martial or La Fontaine.
The tone is that of a late‑nineteenth‑century philologist: precise, didactic, and steeped in the scholarly conventions of the era. Its style blends concise definitions with occasional literary quotations, reflecting the academic milieu of French language studies in the 1880s. Readers who enjoy meticulous lexical research, students of French, translators, or historians of language, will find the book’s exhaustive citations and careful distinctions between formal, colloquial, and popular usage especially rewarding.
The opening · free to read
I must add a warning to students who use the book when translating into French. They must not use expressions marked “familiar” or “popular” except when writing in a familiar or low-class style. I have included these forms, because they are often heard in conversation, but they are seldom met with in serious French literature. A few blank pages have been added at the end for additions. Accents have been placed on capitals to aid the student; they are usually omitted in French printing.
In conclusion, I have to thank Mr. W. G. Lipscomb, M.A., Headmaster of Bolton Grammar School, Mr. E. Latham, and especially M. Georges Jamin of the École Lavoisier, Paris, for valuable suggestions; while M. Marius Deshumbert, and Professor Walter Rippmann, in reading through the proof sheets, have made many corrections and additions of the greatest value, for which I owe them my sincere gratitude.
DE V. PAYEN-PAYNE.
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