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Page 2 of 6 < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > Topic Options #180954 - 12/16/08 01:18 PM Re: French place names [Re: zmjezhd] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8432 Loc: Land of the Flat Water "onward, onward, swords against the foe" (I'll get it, yet) Back in college, in glee club we sang a song about the Burgundians. It will come eventually. I can hear the music in my head, but the words have to find a way thru all the blockage. Germany had (or has, I guess) some very beautiful provinces, once duchies,principalities and the like, now states. Central European History is rife with these themes which made for operas like Siegfried, etc. _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #183772 - 03/21/09 10:21 AM Re: French place names [Re: LukeJavan8] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8432 Loc: Land of the Flat Water This thread's title: French Place names. The Platte River; Platte is French for Flat. The jokes about the river: "mile wide and and inch deep", and "too thin to plow, too thick to drink". _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #183779 - 03/21/09 01:47 PM Re: French place names [Re: LukeJavan8] BranShea Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/06 Posts: 5295 Loc: Netherlands, the Hague How do you always manage to find these old threads? I want however to object to (if you don't mind) this: 'platte is French for flat'. French for flat is plat . In this form : "platte" it really only exists in Dutch and Flemish. It is how we write the adjective from the adverb plat. That is why it struck me as odd when you mentioned it some time ago. What does 'platte' do in the Midwest? Top #183784 - 03/21/09 02:01 PM Re: French place names [Re: BranShea] zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/13/05 Posts: 3290 Loc: R'lyeh French for flat is plat. But the feminine of the adjective is plate and rivière 'river' is feminine, no? I think an extra t got slapped on so that folks wouldn't pronounce it plate /plejt/. According to the Wikipedia article, the Oto called it 'flat river', too (link). _________________________ Ceci n'est pas un seing. Top #183791 - 03/21/09 03:25 PM Re: French place names [Re: zmjezhd] BranShea Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/06 Posts: 5295 Loc: Netherlands, the Hague Totally convincing; nice article and pictures too. French to the bottom of it. Ever tripped on a pallid sturgeon Javanluke? pallid sturgeon Top #183793 - 03/21/09 04:25 PM Re: French place names [Re: BranShea] Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7210 Loc: Vermont Originally Posted By: BranShea Ever tripped on a pallid sturgeon Javanluke? pallid sturgeon don't know about LJ8, but I caught one of these in the Missouri just a few counties north of where the Platte empties: spoonbill! _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top #183794 - 03/21/09 04:38 PM Re: French place names [Re: Buffalo Shrdlu] BranShea Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/06 Posts: 5295 Loc: Netherlands, the Hague Nooh! What a creature! I always think I've seen the strangest things but there never is an end to it. close up hmm.. Top #183797 - 03/21/09 05:09 PM Re: French place names [Re: BranShea] Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7210 Loc: Vermont yup, and that's a little one (mine wasn't much bigger, only 36" long). I was hoping to have it taxidermied (I didn't dare say stuffed and mounted around here...), but as a skin fish, it's a difficult job, and quite expensive. ah well. memories. did you see this one? big Edited by etaoin (03/21/09 05:10 PM) Edit Reason: added link to big paddlefish _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top #183816 - 03/22/09 01:46 PM Re: French place names [Re: BranShea] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8432 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Originally Posted By: BranShea How do you always manage to find these old threads? I want however to object to (if you don't mind) this: 'platte is French for flat'. French for flat is plat . In this form : "platte" it really only exists in Dutch and Flemish. It is how we write the adjective from the adverb plat. That is why it struck me as odd when you mentioned it some time ago. What does 'platte' do in the Midwest? Beats me! And I'm not familiar with Dutch nor Flemish. But the history book used to teach the state history mentions it that way. Probably because la riviere is feminine, making the adjective feminine: La riviere platte. (?) The flat river. Finding old threads? Ah retirement, 'tis great. Is there still a Count of Flanders? I know both the Netherlands,Belgium, and Luxembourg are monarchies??? _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top #183817 - 03/22/09 01:47 PM Re: French place names [Re: zmjezhd] LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8432 Loc: Land of the Flat Water Originally Posted By: zmjezhd French for flat is plat. But the feminine of the adjective is plate and rivière 'river' is feminine, no? I think an extra t got slapped on so that folks wouldn't pronounce it plate /plejt/. According to the Wikipedia article, the Oto called it 'flat river', too (link). thanks zm: I answered before reading your posting. _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep---- Top Page 2 of 6 < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. 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