What is your all time favorite automobile?
In Egypt until the sixties, the French language was common in Cairo and Alexandia. This Franco – Egyptian influence stared with Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Egypt at the end of the eighteenth century. Though the expedition was a big failure and didn’t last long, mainly three years, it had affected the culture, including the language, mainly among the elite, literary, commerce, and political classes. Since then, French seeped into the Egyptian Arabic, though with some alterations and accent.
In our daily language, some French words easily slip off our tongues. Here are some examples: douche (shower), couverte ( blanket), pantalon (trousers), écharpe (scarf), etiquette, Garçon (waiter), and merci. The list, of course, is too long to mention all.
One might wonder how such change took place, if Napoleon’s expedition didn’t last long and was mainly limited to Cairo and Alexandria? That was mainly because of education. French missionary schools, mainly for Christians and Jews, were introduced in the main cities. But, later, they were open to Musilm Egyptians as well, and french scholarships were granted to Egyptian students. Scientists, politicians, and businessmen, became well acquintted with French systems and law. And then, as historians put it in our history books, modernisation found its way to Egypt.
Thanks to the word “automobile,” that this post turned out a bit historical. But isn’t it better this way?
À bientôt,
Avec meilleures vœux,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 