In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 8/1/05 16:37, in article , "Kay"
wrote:
snip
Incidentally, I asked my French niece about what a pig is known as in French
- the animal, rather than the meat and she is firm that it is 'cochon'.

That's what I remembered from O level french buit I wouldn't back my o
level french knowledge against anyone else's knowledge of french, let
alone a french woman's.

Of course, it's still possible that a local dialect would talk of "un porc"
but 'proper' French is "un cochon". In Jersey French, for example, a snail
is called 'un colînmachon' *and* 'un escargot' but in good French it's 'un
escargot'.

I don't think that's it, nor do I think that the teacher is right.

If a teacher was asked the same question for English, the normal
answer would be 'pig', but there would be absolutely nothing WRONG
with 'swine'. It is just not the normal word nowadays.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.