Word of the Week…en Français!
journalier, ière /ʒuʀnalje, jɛʀ/ (noun)
Day laborer, especially in farm work, but not exclusively. Found widely in historical and contemporary sources, this is an excellent word to demonstrate the risk of ‘false friends’ and the proof of the adage ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.’ When I first encountered this word next to the name of a father in an Ontario birth registry, I thought – ‘he was a journalist!’ I then began to see the word more frequently and I thought, ‘Wow! There sure were a lot of journalists in French Ontario!’ Soon, I realized the error of my reading… sources: Family Search, Wiktionary, and Wikipedia.
And here I was thinking it meant “Journalist.” LOL I have seen “laboureur” and assumed it meant a day laborer. And then I look “laboureur” up and find it means a plowman. Thanks for the French lessons!
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I’m glad I was not the only one Mimi! Thanks for sharing and for the comment! : ) If you ever have a word to suggest for ‘word of the week’ let me know!
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