“baristi” is out!


Dany Marquis

French freak and player in the Quebec coffee scene, let's settle the question once and for all.
Should I conjugate foreign nouns (Italian here) according to the grammar rule of the language in question or according to French grammar?
For what?
Because I hate writing and saying "baristi", it sounds monkey, pedantic and snobbish. (it's my opinion)
Ex: A barista -----> Baristas ------> Baristi
If you opt for the term baristi for the plural, why does this rule not apply orally for the word biscotti?
Ex: A biscotto --- Biscotti (Would you have a biscotto with your cappuccino?)
In the biscotti example, we have adopted the use of the Italian plural in our everyday language.
It's the same for:
- a concerto, concertos (should be concerti)
- a diva, divas (should be dive)
- pizzas (should be pizze)
- papparazzis (should be paparazzo!!!) Have you ever read a newspaper somewhere saying "Paris Hilton was harassed by a paparazzo"???
- A scenario, scenarios (should be scenario)
According to wikipedia: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluriel_en_fran%C3%A7ais_de_mots_d'origine_%C3%A9trang%C3%A8re#Pluriel_italien
[...] The plural of Italian nouns ending in -o is -i, those in -a is -e. When kept in French, these plurals give a scholarly, even pedantic, connotation. [...]
Ok gang, can we agree on this, the term “baristi” is out!

Leave a comment


Please note, comments must be approved before they are published