By JOSEPH PETRON, Voiture 518
Voyageurs of La Societe make no claim to speaking or writing French as it is done in La Belle France. In fact, their version of the French language would probably sur- prise and amaze any Frenchman, if he could understand it at all. It is really remarkable how much the French lan- guage has been improved and simplified by Voyageurs who never have taken a French lesson in their lives.
But some of the newer Voyageurs, not to mention many of the older ones, may be a bit confused by the various.
French terms used in the activities and ceremonies of La Societe. Therefore, we are grateful to Voyageur Joseph Petron for the following compilation of Forty and Eight French.
Voyageur Petron is well qualified as an authority, not only by his French name but by the fact that he is an original and charter member of Voiture 1, Philadelphia, and served as Garde-Frein des Etat Unis in 1920.
| French | Definition and Equivalent | Phonetic Pronunciation (All titles accented on final syllable.) |
|---|---|---|
| La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux | The Society of the Forty Men and Eight Horses | Lah So-see-i-tay day Care-aunt ohm za weet Shev-oh |
| Attention | Be Careful | At-ten-see-on |
| Aidez-moi | Aid me, Assist me, Help me | Ay-dah mwah |
| (Le) Aumonier | Chaplain | Oh-mohn-yea |
| (Le) Avocat | Lawyer, Legal Aid Officer | Ah-voh-kah |
| (Le) Camp | Camp, field | Cam |
| (Le) Chapeau | Hat, Cap | Shah-poh or Sha-po |
| (Les) Chapeaux | Hats, Caps | |
| (Le) Chateau | Castle | Shah-too or Shah-toh |
| (Les) Chevaux | Horses | Sher-voh or Shev-oh |
| (Le) Chef | Chief, Leader, Equiv. to Commander | Shef |
| (Le) Chef de Gare | Chief of Station or Depot Station Master-President Equiv. to Post Commander | Shef deh gar (or Shef der gahr) |
| (Le) Chef de Chemin de Fer | Railroad President, National Commander | Shef deh Shur-man deh fare |
| (Le) Chef de Train | Train Master, Vice-President Equiv. to Post Vice Commander | Shef deh Tran (to rhyme with bran but with shorten "n") |
| (Le) Chemin de Fer | Road of iron, Railroad, Railway | Shuh-man deh fare or She-man der ferr |
| (Le) Cheminot | Railway or Railroad Worker Member of Exec. Committee | Shem-ee-no |
| (Le) Cheminot Local (Sing.) | Equiv. to Post Exec. Comm. | Shem-ee-no Lo-kal |
| (Les) Cheminots Locaux (Plural) | Local Voiture-Exec. Comm. | Shem-ee-no Lo-koh |
| (Les) Cheminots Nationaux | National Voiture-Exec. Comm. | Shem-ee-no Na-sion-oh |
| Comment-Allezvous | How are-you (Literally How go you) | Komm-ahng-tal-lay voo |
| (Le) Commis | Clerk—Shopman | Kom-mee |
| (Le) Commissaire Intendant | Treasurer or Finance Officer | Caim-ee-sair-ahn-tahn-dahnt, or kom-mee-sair-ahn-tahn-dahnt |
| (Le) Commis Voyageur | Property Man, Commercial Traveller | Kom-mee Vwa-yahj-ur |
| (Le) Conducteur | Master of Ceremonies | Kon-duc-tur or Kon-duyc-terr |
| (Le) Correspondant | Secretary or Adjutant | Ker-ee-spahn-dahnt |
| (Le) Department | Department, State• | Day-part-mahng |
| (La) Drapeau | Flag | Drnh-po orrah-poh |
| De (used in the singular) | of | Deh or Der |
| Des (used in the plural) | (of) the | Day |
| Des Etats-Unis d'Amerique | (of) The United States of America | Day zay-tah-zou-nee dah-meh-reek |
| Et | and | eh |
| Excuse Moi | Excuse me | Ex-kuz-ay-mwah |
| Fer | Iron | Ferr, fair, fare |
| (Le) Fourragere | Cord, Decoration | Foo-ra-zhar |
| Garde-Frein | Brakeman | Garrd-Fran |
| Gard a vous | On Guard, Attention | Guard-ah-voo or Garrd-ah-voo |
| (La) Garde | Guard | Garrd or Guard |
| (Les) Gardes des Chevaux | Guards of Horses | Guard day shev-oh or Garra-day Sher-voh |
| (La) Garde de la Porte | Door Guard (Sergeant at Arms) (inside Guard) | Guard deli lah Porte (or der) |
| (La) Garde des Prisonniers (m) | Prisoners Guard | Guard or Garrd day-pree-zon-yair |
| (La) Gare | Station (R. R. Depot) | Gahrr-gar |
| (Le) Gendarme | Policeman or Patrolman | Hjaun-derm |
| Grand (with masculine noun) Grande (with feminine noun) Grands (with mas. plural) Grandes (with fem. plural) | Large, tall, great, big | Grahnd |
| (Le) Grand Chef de Gare | Chief-Station Master President or (Equiv. to Dept. or State Commander) | Grahnd-Shef deh gar (or gahr) (gar to rhyme with tar) |
| (Le) Grand Cheminot (Singular) | State R. R. Worker (Dist. Commander) Dept. or State Committeeman | Grahnd-Shem-ec-no |
| (Les) Grands Cheminots (Plural) | Depts. or State Committeemen | |
| (Le) Grand Drapeau | Color Bearer—Big Flag | Grahnd-Drah-po |
| (La) Guerre | War | Gerr |
| (La) Grande Voiture (Sing.) | Dept. or State Organization | Gra-hnd-Vwa-ture |
| (Les) Grandes Voitures (Plural) | (Big Car) | |
| Huit | Eight | weet, wit, wheet |
| (Le) Historien (h is not pronounced) | Historian | is-to-ri-en |
| (Le) Homme | man | Ohn or omm |
| (Les) Hommes | men | |
| (La) (before a Feminine Singulare Noun) | The | Lah (ah pronounced very short) |
| (Le) (before a Masculine Singular Noun) | The | Ler or Luh |
| (Le) Lampiste | Lampman or Lamp Tender ( outside Guard) | Lom-peest |
| Les (before a plural noun) | The | Lay |
| Local (M. Sing.) Locaux (M. Plural) | Local or Locals | Lo-kal—Lo-koh |
| Locale (F. Sing.) Locales (F. Plural) | Local or Locals | Lo-kal |
| Je ne peux pas | I can not | Jzuh-nuh-puh-pah |
| (Le) Medicin | Doctor or Physician | May-de-san or Med-ee-san (to rhyme with tan) |
| (Le) Militaire | Military | Mil-ee-tair |
| (Le) Monsieur | Mister, Sir, Gentleman | Mus-year or Mer-se-er |
| National (m) (Singular) | National | Na-sion-al (al as in Al. Smith) |
| Nationale (f) (Singular) | National | |
| Nationales (f) (Plural) | National | Na-sion-oh |
| Nationaux (m) (Plural) | National | Na-sion-oh |
| Non | No, Non | Nong, Naung or Non |
| Oui | Yes, Yea | we, wee, wui or oo'e |
| Pas | No, Not, Not Any | Pah |
| Passé | Past, Last | Pas-say, Pa-sey, Pah-say |
| (Le) Publiciste | Publisher, Editor, Journalist, Writer | Pub-li-sist |
| (La) Porte | Door, Gate | Port |
| (Le) Premier | First | Prer-me-eh |
| (Le) Prisonnier | Prisoner | Pree-son-nee-ay or Pree-zon-yair |
| (Le) Prisonnier de Guerre (P. G.—Poor Goof) | Prisoner of War | Pree-zon-yair deh gare (to rhyme with dare) |
| (Les) Prisonniers de Guerre | Prisoners of War | |
| (La) Promenade | Meeting | Prom-nod |
| Promenade Nationale | National Meeting | Prom-nod Na-sion-al |
| Quarante | Forty | Care-aunt, Car-rant or Kah-rahngt |
| Reste | Rest, At Ease | Rest |
| Train (Le) | Train | Tran or Train |
| (Le) Train Militarie | Military Train—Troop Train | Tran-Mil-ee-taire |
| (Le) Train des Voyageurs | Traveliers' Train | Tran-day Vwa-yahs-ur |
| (La) Societe | Society | (Lah) So-see-i-tay |
| Salute | Salute, greeting | Salute (Sa-luy) |
| Sous | Vice, Assistant, Under, Below, Beneath | Soo |
| (Le) Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer | National Vice Commander | Soo Shef deh Shuh-man deh fare |
| (Le) Sous Chef de Gare | Asst. Station Master (Equiv. to Vice Commander) | Soo-Shef deh-gar |
| (Le) Sous Grand Cheminot | Asst. Dept. or State Exec. Committeeman-Deputy Dist. Comm. | Soo-Grahnd-Shem-ee-no |
| (La) Voiture (f) (Singular) | Car, Cart, Coach, Carriage, Equiv. to Post | Vwa-ture (not Voy-ture) Vwa-teur or Vu-ah-teer |
| (Les) Voitures (Plural) | Cars, Carts, Coaches, Carriages, Equiv. to Posts | (Lay) Vwa-ture |
| (La) (Grande) Voiture (Sing.) | Dept. or State Organization | Gra-hnd Vwa-ture |
| (Les) (Grandes) Voitures (Plural) | (Big Car) | |
| (La) Voiture Locale (Sing.) | Local Organizations Equiv. to Post | Vwa-ture Lo-kal |
| (Les) Voitures Locales (Plural) | Equiv. to Posts | |
| (La) Voiture Nationale | National Organization (National Car) | Vwa-ture Na-sion-al |
| (Le) Voyageur | Traveller or Passenger | Vwa-yahj-ur |
| (Le) Voyageur Militaire | Military Traveller or Military Passenger | Vwa-yahj-ur Mil-ee-tair |