napkins and servietes

[Paul Frank]

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 23:45:02 EST, RonButters at AOL.COM said:

> > "Napkin" left my lexicon after my British friends
> > had a field day with my American useage.

> Then what do you ask for at McDonald's in Louisiana--a serviette? I doubt
> it!

Serviette does sound silly in American English. In British English and
in French it sounds perfectly natural. I don't suppose much French is
spoken in McDonald's restaurants (for want of a better word) in
Louisiana - even in Cajun country.

Paul
________________________
Paul Frank
Chinese-English translator
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu
http://languagejottings.blogspot.com