Not so easy to find. Between the expressions of today like “it’s raining cows” or of yesterday, such as “throw your hat over the mills”, the French language is endowed with a panel of very imaginative and above all abundant expressions. On the other hand, not all of them are relevant anymore, as mores change, fluctuate and new expressions appear.
Do you know any of these phrases? Maybe your grandparents remember some. Nothing is certain as they can be old. To identify some of them, Planet has produced the slideshow below listing outdated expressions… From the slang dictionary of Virmaître and Topito.
In addition, the “djeuns” invent a whole panoply of new words and phrases in the language of Molière, which the dictionaries end up ratifying. Jean Pruvost, lexicologist explained at the microphone of France Inter: “that behind each familiar word, there is a story and these young people want to bring something to our French language”.
Where is the origin of these words? According to Le Parisien, it is above all thanks to popular culture: reality TV, stars, social networks, music…
But also contractions, verlans or other languages, explains Bernard Lamizet in Cahier de sociolinguistiques, transcribed on the Cairn. It is that teenagers seek above all to be part of a group, to distinguish themselves from others and to create their own identity, affirms the specialist.
