When languages don’t mince words
Isn’t this the most telling photograph?
As my regular readers will know, I can’t bear the word ‘partner’ when used in any context other than for which it is meant: to describe a business, professional or trading relationship.
With me, it’s always boyfriend, girlfriend or companion, depending on the age and situation. Because that’s reality. If you’re not somebody’s husband or wife, you’re their boyfriend, girlfriend or companion, but you’re most certainly not their ‘partner’.
The coverage of Hollande’s fresh spate of cheating, in the French media, really highlights the hypocrisy of those who, in English and Maltese, invent words to mask reality – words like ‘partner’. It also shows why people who must insist on going all the way in politics should marry the person they’re living with instead of portraying their relationship as equal to marriage when it is not.
The French are tolerant of those situations, but then this is off-set by a brutality of realistic language. Who wants to be Segolene Royal right now, described as:
ex-concubine du président et mère de ses quatre enfants (Thomas, Elise, Julien et Flora)
Meanwhile, Valerie Trierweiler is his current concubine.
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The French would never use ‘partenaire’ the way the Brits do and the term is reserved uniquely for business.
In French ‘concubine’ is not derogatory. It is a formal way, used mainly by the media, of saying companion.
[Daphne – Concubine in any language has both an embedded and overt meaning that places the emphasis on the fact that this is not a wife we are talking about, and which has strong connotations of inequality in the relationship. Therefore it is insulting whichever way you look at it. If Royal was Hollande’s concubine, what was he to her? There you have your answer as to whether the word is offensive or not.]
In French, concubine has a male form, therefore he would be her ‘concubin’.
[Daphne – Fascinating: it’s actually the name of the legal status/regime which governs the relationship, and here’s the basic historic background http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concubinage%5D
A domestic partner outside marriage is referred to as a de facto husband or wife by some authorities
In Australian law, ‘de facto’ is the legally recognized relationship of a couple living together (opposite-sex or same-sex).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto
“concubin signifie « celui qui couche avec “, taken from the link above, says it all.
Quite a Lothario the French fella, unlike our resident Socialist, who only seems to light up when put next to the Camerons of this world.
That photo reminds me of Muscat, except he’d be smirking at the camera.
Here’s a nice president. Actually a lovely couple.
http://tg24.sky.it/static/contentimages/original/sezioni/tg24/politica/2013/07/31/foto_giorgio_napolitano_vacanza_sesto_pusteria_01_1.jpeg
http://gossipblitz.it/images/gallerie2/NapolitanoGiorgioRelaxArgentario27Maggio2013/Napolitano-Giorgio-Relax02.JPG
It is even more telling when you read what led to that kiss. Apparently, Hollande had just kissed Royal on the cheek so the companion wanted to go one better by kissing him on the mouth.
How lovely. They look just like Joseph and Michelle.
Valerie is known, by the French people who hate her, as Valerie Rottweiler.