[Marianopolita]

I see trends here with the responses thus far and so far they coincide with a theory I have as well. I have a reference that I will consult which may confirm that the usage of some of these universal phrases depends on many factors. One factor being that foreign phrase language usage coincides with the region among other components.

1) Chris- you are a perfect example of a person who has a good understanding of the universal phrases I referenced which were mostly French and Latin (just a coincidence) and you confirmed one fact that the usage of these phrases are common in British English (Europe) therefore region is a factor.

2) Rellosk- you proved another theory that on the other side of the globe, the USA primarily, the French phrases maybe are not as common or of 'universal' phrasal usage as deemed in other areas. Keeping in mind French has never been popular or a common second language in the USA thus possibly a reason for less exposure to or usage by the population of these universal phrases. BTW out of the ones you signaled as not universal IMO argot, bon marché, bonne chance, ça va and joie de vivre are quite common.

You made me smile with your selection of argot as not common because it is used in Spanish (a borrowed word from French) which means jerga (slang). However argot vs jerga has its regional usage as well.

c'est la vie = así es la vida. Please note many people when learning Spanish tend to say la vida es así which is not correct simply because así es la vida is a fixed expression along with a grammatical reason.

3) Anna- I think your knowledge of these universal phrases could be the closest to the norm and possibly it could be due to exposure to these phrases via different medium and your case a heritage language.

4) qgrande- thanks for your input. I was hoping you would comment because I was looking for opinions from people and their experience/ familiarity with foreign phrases from each region in the world. Your knowledge of the phrases listed compares to Chris and again it’s a European perspective. Yes, my list is short on German because it was made relative to the environment and the languages I speak but certainly there are a fair share of German foreign phrases that are 'universal' but I am not familiar with them or comfortable using them in conversation etc.

In terms of the DR, I think usage of foreign phrases are limited mostly to English phrases because that’s all I have heard and very limited at that (and again I don’t mean Spanglish). I refer to the equivalent of the list provided but of English universal phrases.

One aspect I noticed about the list regarding the French terms is the usage of these phrases is regional as well. Some of the French foreign phrases are more prevalent in French Canada as opposed to Europe. For example moi non plus is common in Montreal but it seems to be not so common in Europe as per Chris and qgrande.

Okay keep the comments coming. This is meant to be a lighthearted learning exercise and a friendly exchange of information.


LDG.