this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2024
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Showerthoughts

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"Fry" is an ambiguous word in English (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by NorthWestWind@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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Here are 3 examples:
Fried egg, fried rice, fried chicken

All these "fry" are different. If you were to use the "fry" in fried rice to fry an egg, you'd get scrambled egg. Fried chicken is done by submerging it in oil, which you won't do with fried egg or fried rice.

This post is made from the perspective of a Cantonese/Chinese speaker. We have different words for these different types of "fry" (煎, 炒, 炸 respectively)

(Turns out I did post it in the wrong sub and I didn't realize, and now I feel very stupid. Photon UI has once again screwed me over. Got mad for no reason.)

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[–] Jayjader@jlai.lu 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

The English royal court became french speaking after the normands invaded, around 200 or 300 years ago. Nobles and royalty can afford lavish meals and dishes.

They can also regularly afford meat, whilst it was the peasants who tended to the animals. Thus pork (from porc) vs pig, beef (from boeuf) vs cow, poultry (from poulet) vs chicken.

It doesn't explainall of the gaps, but it's an important part of the explanation.

[–] teft@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Around 2 or 3 hundred years ago? William the Conqueror was 1066 homie.

[–] Jayjader@jlai.lu 1 points 4 months ago

You're right, thanks for the correction

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 0 points 4 months ago

And the well-heeled like keeping the distinction between them (French-speaking) and commoners (English-speaking).

It's interesting, because that's part of why Shakespeare was such a big deal - not only writing and performing in English for the Common Man, but was skewering the well-heeled while also expanding English.

Neat stuff.