[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Translation of French fur trader slang



Or, you might try the French language folks at your local university.
-----Original Message-----
From: Butcher Sharon L Contr AEDC/ACS [mailto:Sharon.Butcher@ARNOLD.AF.MIL]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 12:09 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Translation of French fur trader slang

The French cultural consulate might be able to help.
 

Sharon Lee Butcher
Reference Librarian
AEDC Technical Library
100 Kindel Drive, Ste C212
Arnold AFB, TN  37389-3212
931-454-4430
Fax:  931-454-5421
sharon.butcher@arnold.af.mil

-----Original Message-----
From: Lefebvre, Ellen [mailto:Lefebvre@ARCADIA.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 11:03 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Translation of French fur trader slang

Lara: The first possibility that comes to mind is "Sacre chien", with an acute accent on the last e, pronounced drawn out, meaning "holy dog". It may be just like the American "holy cow" in an _expression_ of awe or other. But, there may be another, linguisticly more accurate explanation.
Ellen Lefebvre
-----Original Message-----
From: Friedman-Shedlov, Lara [mailto:lara.friedman-shedlov@MNHS.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 10:56 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Translation of French fur trader slang

This is slightly off topic, but I have been helping some folks in our museum exhibits department translate some French documents related to an exhibit they are preparing on the fur trade.  Apparently, a favorite profanity of the voyageurs was "saccaje chien" (with an acute accent over the "e" at the end of saccaje).  I know that chien means dog, but I have no idea what saccaje means.  I wondered if it was perhas a corruption or running together of some other french words along the lines of "ca que je" or "chaque" or something like that.  Any French speakers or experts on the voyageurs have any ideas how to translate this _expression_?
 
--Lara Friedman-Shedlov

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lara Friedman-Shedlov
lara.friedman-shedlov@mnhs.org
Minnesota Historical Society