01 December 2008

Here it is!

In the last week, in two different blogs, I've come across this atrocity of language - people using "wa la" in place of the French word "voila". 

Yes, I understand that they're spelling the word how it sounds. Whether it's deliberate or not, I find it extremely ridiculous. As far as foreign words go, voila is one that's been used successfully alongside English words for years and somehow people have developed an understanding of not only what it means, but also how to pronounce it. There is no need to use "wa la" in print. There's just no excuse. 

My extreme displeasure with this lazy use of language could have something to do with the fact that I studied le Francais for six years and have an appreciation for language and the written word. Or maybe I just wanted a reason to tell you that "Je voudrais un croissant."

1 comment:

k said...

You would then appreciate the online database that is the OED. Geeky librarian that I am, I spent an hour looking up words like "shshsh," "shrubbery" and "fellmonger."

Good times.