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Re: Translation of French fur trader slang



I responded to Lara off-list with this suggestion, but it may be helpful in the future for others:  I suggested she contact the local Alliance Francaise (http://www.afusa.org/), an organization dedicated to sharing and teaching the french language around the world.  The web site states that they are present in 45 states in the U.S.
 
Jennifer Johnson
Government Records Analyst
Minnesota Historical Society
State Archives
345 Kellogg Boulevard West
St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
Telephone:  651-297-1261
Fax:  651-296-9961
http://www.mnhs.org/
-----Original Message-----
From: Friedman-Shedlov, Lara [mailto:lara.friedman-shedlov@mnhs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 9:56 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

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