this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2025
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/193/ (link found by BunScientist@lemmy.zip)) Edit: it's to its in the title. Damn autocorrect.

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Façade is written using a letter that doesn't appear in English language keyboards (or in any other English word that I'm aware of).

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Just like naïve

[–] veni_vedi_veni@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

one would say that word is a

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Using loan words is cheating, but also disqualifies half the English language

[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thing is, reasonable languages adapt loan words to their own rules to make their speakers' lives easier.

English, though? Nah, English just stalks other languages in dark alleys, stabs them, rips some random words off, and runs away giggling like a maniac, bits of the original language dragging behind, leaving a trail of gore.

That's how you end up with things like façade, or naïve, or fiancé, or the plural of radius being radii, or château / châteaux, or referendum / referenda, and so on, turning what should be a matter of just applying some standard rules into a veritable minefield of non-standard forms which must be memorised by its speakers.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

It does make learning other languages fun. Currently in the middle of French, and there's so many words i already know. Eg:

  • Déjà vu - already seen
  • Cul-de-sac - butt (bottom) of the bag
  • Laissez faire - let do/let make
  • Lieu - place