French language

French was aHumanlanguage spoken inEarth'sEuropeannation-state ofFrance and parts ofNorth America,South America andAfrica and associated islands that were contacted by the French during Earth'scolonial eras. French was one of the Romance languages, having developed from the earlierLatin language.

By the mid-2260s,Chaoyang Soo had learned to speak French, or at least had the ability to count to ten. (The First Artifact -The Brave and the Bold, Book Onenovella: )

LieutenantDeSalle admitted his kinfolk were from France, after he was greeteden français byTrelane. (TOSepisode: "The Squire of Gothos")

In2268, on Platonius,Parmen told his wifePhilana that Dr.McCoy was content to wait for Kirk and Spock's "pièce de résistance." Possibly, he had learned of the phrase through his previous, psychokinetic grip on theEnterprise-off itslibrary computer. Or, the former Sahndarans had also visitedancient Gaul, (one of the manyEuropean countries affected byGreco-Roman influence) and acquired an archaic form of the language. (TOSepisode: "Plato's Stepchildren")

In2270,CommanderSpock, unable to convey a near translation inVulcan, asked the old rhetoric, "Tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner?" ("To understand, is to forgive?") While attempting to make logic of the actionsDoctorGeorges Mordreaux took. (TOSnovel:The Entropy Effect)

In2285,AdmiralKirk tells humiliatedBird-of-PreyCommanderKruge, "C'est la vie," after the death of his armedlanding party-aboard the destroyedEnterprise. This oldEarth phrase means, "That's life!" Or also, "Such is life," after facing misfortune. (TOSmovie:Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

TheUSSEnterprise-Dholodeck program "The Low Note" featured a Cajun character namedMinuet. She accessed the lingual database and carried a brief conversation withJean-Luc Picard in French. (TNGepisode: "11001001")

For hundreds of years, theFrench language played a major role in the development of Western civilization-including theRenaissance Period. By the mid-24th century, some in the Federation considered French to be somewhat obsolete, much to the annoyance of people from France.Lieutenant CommanderData once remarked that the language was obsolete, and was prepared to argue the point with an irritatedCaptainJean-Luc Picard, beforeCommanderWilliam Riker suggested that he drop the subject. (TNGepisode: "Code of Honor")

Frere Jacques, the Francophile equivalent to the Anglic children's song "Brother John"was often sung byJean-Luc Picard as a boy inFrance. (TNGepisode: "Disaster")

When Data traveled back in time to the late19th century, he claimed that he was from France to the natives of that time period to explain his appearance. WhenFrederick La Rouque spoke to Data in French, Data was easily able to answer all of La Rouque's questions, prompting the man to allow Data into apoker game. (TNGepisode: "Time's Arrow")

In the24th century, theFederation'sMaquis rebellion agaisnt theCardassians chose their group's name after a French group of20th century predecessors who resistedAdolf Hitler'sNazi invasion.

Seven of Nine took on theholographic personna ofMademoiselle de Neuf (literally, "Ms. Of Nine") in aHirogen interpetation ofNazi-German occupiedFrance. (VOYepisode: "The Killing Game")

Benjamin Sisko was of African, Spanish and Creole-French descent. His ancestors used a variant of it, when the European French colonizedLouisiana and parts of Haiti. (DS9novelization:Far Beyond the Stars)

The word "déjà vu", translated into theEnglish language, literally means, "Did/done before." Or, "Have (already) seen." (TNGepisode: "Cause and Effect",VOYepisode: "Favorite Son",ENTepisode: "Future Tense")

When considering the topic of theFederation-Tarn War,Jean-Luc Picard tried to represent the actions of both sides using the French termla gloire, literally "glory", to refer to the honor and self-sacrifice of both sides of the conflict. (TNGnovel:The Forgotten War)

External links[]

• French language article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.
• French language article atWikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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