I mentioned it earlier. In French the kilt is "le kilt", the sporran is "le sporran". Some words are taken from their native tongue and used directly without translating or merely adding emphasis or accents.
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Since French has a resistance to such borrowings, it is a little surprising, although in this instance I thoroughly approve.
Afrikaans is much more rigorous about resisting borrowings, and the official dictionaries don’t recognise the word kilt. Instead the translation provided is “Skotse rokkie” – in other words, a dress or skirt.
The other day I encountered a crew of workmen (working at my neighbour’s house over the road) who were commenting negatively (in Afrikaans) about a man in a “dress”. I asked them (also in Afrikaans) whether they had never seen a man in a “Skotse” . . . I hesitated, the dictionary version presenting itself first in my mind, and then corrected myself, saying “kilt”.
It is a man’s style of dress, I said, and they say (this was still in Afrikaans), then I switched to English and said: “It takes balls to wear it.”
They shut up, and have made no comment since!
Regards,
Mike
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.
[Proverbs 14:27]
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