Cassell's Dictionary Of French Synonyms Arranged In Groups For The Convenience Of English Students

French is without doubt the foreign language most frequently studied in English-speaking countries today, a fact which may be accounted for in several ways. First, the history of France has in past centuries been closely interwoven with that of England, revealing, here, the spirit of unity linking the two nations, there, the misunderstanding or hostility which divided them. As a result the French tongue found its way into England from the Norman invasion onward, remained in use at the Court until the fourteenth century, shared with Latin the distinction of being the literary language of Europe and became the diplomatic and social speech of the world. Secondly, the geographical situation of France as regards England and the close relationships with the French since the Revolution in America, have facilitated the study of the language, but a third and more potent reason for its present-day popularity was the advent of the Great War in 1914, that gigantic upheaval which threw the nations into physical touch with each other and permitted us to study, at close range, the character and language of our French allies during that unprecedented struggle. It may be said, therefore, that the French language has come to stay, but we must remember that it is infinitely rich in nwanccs and finesse or, as we should say, shades of meaning, so much so that the possibilities of expressing oneself exactly, or making mistakes, are alike unbounded. As an example, the words pendant and dwant are generally given as French equivalents for '* during while affn'u. r, cffrayant, cffr& yctble and