{"id":26548,"date":"2017-04-06T20:22:10","date_gmt":"2017-04-06T18:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=26548"},"modified":"2018-03-23T11:34:34","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T10:34:34","slug":"analyzing-french-expressions-de-souche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/analyzing-french-expressions-de-souche\/","title":{"rendered":"Analyzing French Expressions: De Souche"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s an expression that you might come across in your French studies: f<\/em>ran\u00e7ais de souche<\/em>. What does this mean? Let’s take a look at the term\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>and all the different expressions in which it can be used.<\/p>\n

In French,\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>literally means “stump,” as in the stump of a tree. But it also means “origins,” as in one’s ancestral origins. In this way,\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>is similar to the way we would use the word “roots” in English–both as a part of a tree and in a genealogical sense.<\/p>\n

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Thus, when you hear the expression:\u00a0Il est un fran\u00e7ais de souche<\/em>, this means that someone is of “purely” French heritage. The reason why I put “purely” in quotation marks here is because this expression is considered controversial and has many political connotations. Sometimes this phrase can be used in a nationalistic way to explain one’s hierarchical positioning in French politics and society. (You can read more about the history\u2014and the controversy\u2014of this term here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

But there are many other ways to use the expression\u00a0de souche\u00a0<\/em>or the term\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>in French that are less controversial. For example, the expression\u00a0dormir comme une souche\u00a0<\/em>means to “sleep like a log,” or to sleep very heavily. Rester comme une souche<\/em>, means to stay totally immobile.\u00a0You can also talk about\u00a0les mots souches<\/em>, which are root words, or\u00a0la souche de ch\u00e8que<\/em>, which is a check (or a pay) stub. You could speak about\u00a0les cellules souches<\/em>, which are stem cells (literally “stub cells” in French).<\/p>\n

Speaking of cells, souche\u00a0<\/em>also has an additional meaning in the medical community: “strain,” as in the strain of a particular virus. Thus, you could speak about\u00a0une souche virale<\/em>, or a viral strain or\u00a0une souche r\u00e9sistante de bact\u00e9rie<\/em>, a resistant strain of bacteria.<\/p>\n

In genetics and genealogy,\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>is also frequently used in different ways. For example,\u00a0faire souche\u00a0<\/em>is to\u00a0faire naissance \u00e0 des descendents.\u00a0<\/em>What does this mean? To procreate.<\/p>\n

Can you think of any other ways in which you have heard\u00a0souche\u00a0<\/em>being used? Are there any other expressions that use\u00a0souche<\/em> in any of its various meanings? Leave your comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

There’s an expression that you might come across in your French studies: fran\u00e7ais de souche. What does this mean? Let’s take a look at the term\u00a0souche\u00a0and all the different expressions in which it can be used. In French,\u00a0souche\u00a0literally means “stump,” as in the stump of a tree. But it also means “origins,” as in one’s…<\/p>\n

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