The genius and logic of French and English
Language Log 2023-04-12
Here are the warning labels on the sun visors in my Toyota Tacoma:
In almost every line, the French is longer longer than the English — demonstrably and conspicuously so.
Why does the French feel more comfortable going on at length, while the English is happy being more concise — consistently so in both cases?
This is a phenomenon we have noticed before in different settings, so it is not a fluke. There must be some reason why speakers of French and English behave this way. Is it cultural? Linguistic?
Selected readings
- "French vs. English" (8/2/15)
- "'Tis the Season: blooming in translation and in art" (4/11/17)
- "Blooming, embellishment, and bombs" (8/17/15)
[Thanks to Zihan Guo]


