Post on 18-Dec-2015
Xenisms of French origin in the novel „Disheveled Virgins”
by Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu
Author: Drd. Mitrofan Adina-Simona“Stefan cel Mare” University of Suceava
Fecioarele despletite
Disheveled Virgins1926
Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu1867-1955
Xenism= the first stage of the borrowing process, when a word from one language is used in an utterance of another language in order to create a somewhat exotic effect
[Picoche and Marchello-Nizia, 1991]
In terms of graphics, most xenisms keep the closest form to
the French etymon, the adaptation process being
deliberately "slowed" for stylistic reasons
(keeping the "à la française" pronunciation and spelling ).
un „satin laqué” un „gourmet”
un „vernis” „projet-ul”
„panier” compte-rendu-urile
chauffeurul abat-jour-ului etc.
(Fecioarele despletite, Editura Ancora, București, 1926)
Exceptions are only a few elements which, in an attempt to become more Romanian, have achieved
more of a hybrid aspect.
„épreuvele” „pointura”
parola suggestivă castagnete
„souchă” dormeusa
„grimpantelor” „ceintura” etc.
Although the graphical aspect of the source language has been kept, the studied lexical items have received
grammatical markers able to ensure their inclusion in a particular lexico-grammatical class, thus adapting to the syntactic requirements of the context in which they are used.
For the noun class (the most prolific), the grammatical markers are the
definite and indefinite articles and the plural desinences which allow their
classification in terms of categories of gender, number and case.
The enclitic definite article and the plural neuter gender desinences are articled
attached by means of hyphens to the intact form of singular inarticulately while the
feminine are “Romanized” by attaching the definite enclitic articles and the desinences to the inarticulate forms, a process sometimes accompanied by the substitution of some of
the original sounds.
With regard to semantic-referential aspect, the xenisms of French origin
present in the novel “Disheveled Virgins” are mainly in the field of
lexical items of clothing, onomastics and toponymy, but also the cuisine.