{"id":22711,"date":"2015-12-18T23:10:38","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T22:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=22711"},"modified":"2017-10-24T14:34:21","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T12:34:21","slug":"you-know-dasher-and-dancer-and-prancer-the-dark-side-of-french-rudolph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/you-know-dasher-and-dancer-and-prancer-the-dark-side-of-french-rudolph\/","title":{"rendered":"You Know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer\u2026 The Dark Side of French Rudolph"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ah, it’s December, and baby, it’s cold outside! Don’t be a grinch about the weather, though. Even if Jack Frost is nipping at your nose, tis the season to be jolly! Whether you’re in church listening to yuletide carols being sung by a choir or at home decking your halls with boughs of holly, this time of year is often a magical season for many. Memories from childhood come rushing back with something as simple as a smell or a movie. There’s a lot history in every family’s Christmas, and although mine never really sang Christmas carols, I’ve always been a big fan of the music (d’o\u00f9<\/b> [hence] the really horrible puns at the beginning of this article).<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve mentioned in a previous post how reading a translation of something you’re already familiar with can benefit your foreign language acquisition and how studying the similarities and differences can bring a new dimension to a text. Even something as simple as a name change can make you consider a new aspect of the character. <\/span><\/p>\n

L\u2019onomastique<\/b> (onomastics), the study of the origins and usage of names, should be considered in every literary analysis. Let\u2019s take Perdita from 101 Dalmatians as an example. Her name derives from the Latin perdere<\/i><\/b>, (soit en fran\u00e7ais perdre <\/b>or in French, perdre) <\/b>meaning lost. Perdita itself means \u201clost one \u2014 a very fitting name for the story. Mersault<\/b> from Albert Camus’s L’\u00e9tranger<\/b> has a name that would have more significance for a French speaker than an English speaker*. There have been many papers that study Mersault\u2019s name in relation to his actions in the book. Meurt sot <\/b>(die stupid), pronounced the same, is often presented as an analysis of the character\u2019s name. Not sure why? Read the book!<\/span><\/p>\n

* Same goes for the title, too, actually. <\/i>L\u2019\u00e9tranger <\/i><\/b>in French already has <\/i>un double sens <\/i><\/b>(two meanings) \u2014 in English the word can be translated back as stranger or foreigner. Reading a translation of this won\u2019t allow you to understand its full significance.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

This is all super interesting, Josh, but what does it have to do with Christmas? Sorry, got a little carried away!\u00a0 <\/span>In 1823, a poem intitul\u00e9 <\/b>(called) \u201cA Visit from Saint Nicholas\u201d was published anonymously before being attributed to Clement Clarke Moore in 1837. Maybe you don\u2019t know it by that title, but I\u2019m sure if I give you the first line, you can complete it: \u2019Twas the night before Christmas\u2026<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s through this poem that Santa\u2019s reindeer were all named for the first time. When the poem was translated, the reindeer\u2019s names were also translated. Some were translated directly while others had brand new names attributed to them. Want to delve deeper? Look up all the reindeer\u2019s attributes (for example, one of them is the strongest) and the meaning of their French names and tell me what you think of the translations!<\/span><\/p>\n

Tornade<\/b> (Dasher)
\n<\/span>Danseur<\/b> (Dancer)
\n<\/span>Furie<\/b> (Prancer)
\n<\/span>Fringant<\/b> (Vixen)
\n<\/span>Com\u00e8te<\/b> (Comet)
\n<\/span>Cupidon<\/b> (Cupid)
\n<\/span>Tonnerre<\/b> (Donder)
\n<\/span>\u00c9clair<\/b> (Blitzen)<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, there\u2019s 8, but we\u2019re missing \u201cthe most famous reindeer of all.\u201d Where is Rudolph, and when did he come into play? <\/span><\/p>\n

Rudolph made his first appearance in 1939 in a short book written by Robert L. May. The song\u00a0was adapted to song 10 years later by May\u2019s brother-in-law. It was recorded by Gene Autry and hit #1 on the Billboard pop singles in December 1949. We all know the story\u2026 Poor little Rudolph was picked on by reindeer bullies until one Christmas Eve when Santa noticed him and his bright nose and asked him to guide his sleigh. Now a hero, all of Rudolph\u2019s little haters became fans and \u201cshouted out with glee.\u201d A cute story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unless you know the French version. Then you\u2019ll be surprised to learn just why Rudolph\u2019s nose was red. And that it wasn\u2019t Santa who discovered him. And you have to see happened before he could guide the sleigh. Anyway, here is the song! Below you will find the lyrics and the translation.<\/span><\/p>\n