HR Hartley

Could you please elaborate? I am afraid I don't understand. Do you mean there are no words in French for hinges, cup handle, etc?

No, not at all, it's just that they don't seem to be in their active vocabulary.

I just tested the "key" on my French colleague, and he had no idea.

This morning my girlfriend (long story) failed to name a cup-handle, which is why this came to mind.

I see ! thank you for the explanation.

cup handle = l'anse de la tasse

Keyboard = clavier.
Piano keyboard = clavier de piano

Everytime flanner.uk posts we add a few dozen more new words to English - it all adds up

" remember hearing that an article or book translated into French, for example, has many more words. English has many word choices with fine shadings of meaning"

You won't believe the fine shades of meaning that Spanish have. But almost every sentence in English would be longer when translated into Spanish. It is our way of writing what makes the difference. Usually English texts are very direct in style and in general, easier to read than French or Spanish ones whose writers just love to be known because their wording and sometimes it seems that the difficult to understand the text and the wording, the happier they are.

http://www.languagemonitor.com/

The latest word to enter the English language is ‘obama’ in its many variations, according to the Global Language Monitor

Obama- is used as a ‘root’ for an ever-expanding number of words, including obamamentum, obamacize, obamarama, obamaNation, obamanomics, obamican, obamafy, obamamania, and obamacam.

Yikes! Are they adding anything in random to the list of words? Or words that are used once or twice by somebody and then forgotten forever?

Word-watcher counts on English hitting 1 million words
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...93/1009/NEWS07

Here's the article i read

<<In the 1680's Mr Pepys wrote in his diary, "The King went sliding on his skates" (on the frozen Thames).>>

Exactly when did you read this Ira?

probably in the 1860s!

key (on keyboard) = touche
hinge = charnière
bollard = poteau
ballbearing = roulement à bille

As far as I know, all these words would be in your average French adult's vocabulary...

Hinge is Gond.
Bollard is Bitte (no sniggering!)