The Russian language is rich and varied, but not only with native Russian words. The centuries-old development of Russian speech included a large number of borrowings from foreign languages. The French language gave us many beautiful words that people use every day in speech, sometimes without suspecting their French origin.
How French penetrated Russian
Since the time of Peter I, who opened a window to Europe, the fashion for everything French has emerged in the Russian nobility. Every self-respecting nobleman was obliged to speak it fluently. Russian and French were interspersed in speech, complementing and replacing each other. Many generations of monarchs have shown sympathy for France. Famous poets loved the French language. So, French words gradually penetrated into the Russian language, and linguists argue that through French, many borrowings of Greek and Latin etymology also got into our speech.
The close relationship between Russia and France also contributed to the establishment of trade ties. Items were brought to us, which had no analogues in Russia. The same applies to many concepts characteristic of the French mentality. Naturally, having no corresponding words in Russian, the people adopted words from French to denote things that were unknown until then. For example, in the middle of the 19th century, blinds were brought to us from France, which were used there by analogy with Russian shutters in order to hide the residents of the house from prying eyes. From French, jalousie is translated as "jealousy", because the owner of the house hides his personal happiness behind them.
Many borrowings arose during the Patriotic War of 1812. Wars have always contributed to the intertwining of world cultures, leaving their mark in the languages of the warring countries. After the war, it was in vogue to hire French people as tutors for children. It was believed that noble children trained by the French acquire sophistication and correct manners.
French words in Russian
Words such as catwalk or openwork betray their origin, but many French words have become so familiar with their native language that they are considered primordially Russian. For example, the word "tomato" comes from the French pomme d'or and translates as "golden apple". Although most European countries have long adopted the Italian version of "tomatoes", the French name is still familiar to the Russian ear. Many words have already gone out of use in the French language and are archaisms, for example, "coat", "curlers", etc., but in Russia they are widely used.
In general, French borrowings can be divided into several groups. The first of them is the words that were borrowed, retaining their original meaning, for example: "lampshade", "subscription", "keychain", "gauze" (in honor of the name of the French village of Marly-le-Roi), "furniture", " blackmail".
The second group is represented by words borrowed from the French language, but with a meaning that is exactly the opposite of the original one. For example, the word "cap" comes from the French chapeau, which means "cap". In France, this word has never meant a headdress. The word "scam" in Russian has a negative meaning, synonymous with the word "deception", while in France this word means "useful business".
The third group includes words, the sound of which was borrowed from the French language, but in Russian they were endowed with their own meaning, which has nothing to do with the translation of the word into Russian. Often such words refer to everyday or slang speech. For example, there is a version of the origin of the word "skier". According to her, soldiers from the defeated Napoleonic army walked through the Russian lands, dirty and hungry, and asked for food and shelter from the Russian peasants. When they called for help, they turned to the Russians cher ami, which means "dear friend."The peasants heard "shermi" so often that they began to call French soldiers "skiers". Gradually, the word acquired the meaning of "swindler, lover of profit."
An interesting story is connected with the origin of the word "shantrapa", which means "worthless, insignificant, trashy person." Apparently the word comes from the French chantera pas - "cannot sing". Such a verdict was passed by serfs who were selected for rural theaters. Since the selection of the actors was carried out by French teachers, the word "shantrapa" was often pronounced in relation to the deaf serfs. Apparently they, not knowing the meaning, took it for a curse.
