Xenisms of French origin in the novel „Disheveled Virgins”

by Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu

Author: Drd. Mitrofan Adina-Simona“Stefan cel Mare” University of Suceava

Fecioarele despletite

Disheveled Virgins1926

Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu1867-1955

Xenism= the first stage of the borrowing process, when a word from one language is used in an utterance of another language in order to create a somewhat exotic effect

[Picoche and Marchello-Nizia, 1991]

In terms of graphics, most xenisms keep the closest form to

the French etymon, the adaptation process being

deliberately "slowed" for stylistic reasons

(keeping the "à la française" pronunciation and spelling ).

un „satin laqué” un „gourmet”

un „vernis” „projet-ul”

„panier” compte-rendu-urile

chauffeurul abat-jour-ului etc.

(Fecioarele despletite, Editura Ancora, București, 1926)

Exceptions are only a few elements which, in an attempt to become more Romanian, have achieved

more of a hybrid aspect.

„épreuvele” „pointura”

parola suggestivă castagnete

„souchă” dormeusa

„grimpantelor” „ceintura” etc.

Although the graphical aspect of the source language has been kept, the studied lexical items have received

grammatical markers able to ensure their inclusion in a particular lexico-grammatical class, thus adapting to the syntactic requirements of the context in which they are used.

For the noun class (the most prolific), the grammatical markers are the

definite and indefinite articles and the plural desinences which allow their

classification in terms of categories of gender, number and case.

The enclitic definite article and the plural neuter gender desinences are articled

attached by means of hyphens to the intact form of singular inarticulately while the

feminine are “Romanized” by attaching the definite enclitic articles and the desinences to the inarticulate forms, a process sometimes accompanied by the substitution of some of

the original sounds.

With regard to semantic-referential aspect, the xenisms of French origin

present in the novel “Disheveled Virgins” are mainly in the field of

lexical items of clothing, onomastics and toponymy, but also the cuisine.