serviette

[Paul Frank]

> I have spoken French and English all my life and have never asked for a =
> serviette in any restaurant.  A serviette is a towel . In French a Cajun
> =
> calls a  paper napkin "a Nap- kin "(accent on the second syllable). A =
> serviette is either a wash cloth or a dish towel.
> J. Nihart

I speak French at home with my wife. We live in a French-speaking
village the Swiss Alps. A few minutes ago, I pointed at a napkin and
asked her to tell me what it was. She said "serviette." In English I'd
never say serviette. Then again, I'm not British. (Incidentally, in
Switzerland a serviette is a napkin. In France it's usually a towel. The
Swiss say "linge" when they mean towel.)

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