New words you've learned from LM

[Mike]

Even though I've always done a lot of reading, it never ceases to amaze me how many new words I'm introduced to in LM. (I'm reading the Norman Denny version.) Often the words will be ones I already know, but a second or third definition that I'd never heard of before.

Here are some from just the past couple of days:

viaticum -- A supply of provisions for a journey.

music of the spheres --
a music, imperceptible to human ears, formerly supposed to be produced by the movements of the spheres or heavenly bodies.

corsage -- the upper part of a woman's dress.

Please feel free to post any words new to you that you've encountered in LM as well.

[Bryn]

I saw the title of the thread and thought you meant the slang. - I'm in his slang section at the moment. It's fun but half in French, so I get half the gist.

[Mike]

Oh, slang is fine too. :) For instance, in his translation, Denny used the word "cove," which is apparently British slang for "fellow." Gavroche was actually speaking.

Oh, you're in the book "Argot"? Kind of boring, if you ask me. I just finished that too. I thought the last part of it, which really had nothing to do with argot, was the best. ;)

If I ever read LM again, I'll be skipping *lots* of things. :)

[Bryn]

I thought, next time I'll skip the extensive musings on nuns!

[Mike]

Do you mean the Petit-Picpus digression, or the one right after--A Parenthesis? I actually liked the latter better, because it was shorter and made some interesting philosophical points. I didn't care much for the humdrum details of what went on in the convent itself. Truth be told, one could skip either section without sustaining permanent psychological damage. ;)

[Bryn]

I truly can't remember which, Mike. I'll just agree with your last sentence.

Love this book, don't mistake us, folks.

[Mike]

Yes, one could call our criticisms "tough love." ;)

[Katalin]

I love this book, but i read in hungarian, and not saw special words. I read all works of Hugo, so its possible i encountered with some before, but i dont think so, coz my favorite era in literature is the 19. century.

[Mike]

Really, there were no new words that you learned from Hugo in Hungarian? That's interesting. I usually can't go more than a couple of pages without finding *something* (new word, new sense of a familiar word, idiom, etc.) to look up, but then I'm a logophile anyway. ;)

Incidentally, I'd be curious to know how difficult it is for those fluent in French to read LM. How much has French changed in 150 years, I wonder?

[Lauren]

I read it in French and noted every word that I had to look up the translation of. The list was extensive and included some words that I had not known in English before. My skills improved drastically by the time I finished reading it.

[Mike]

You probably compiled enough words to make up your own French-English dictionary, I imagine. ;)

I wonder how much French a person needs to know in order to attempt the original version. I had 2 years in college, but I don't know if that's enough.