A Word is a Word

The French dictionary's "K" section is roughly four pages long, depending on whether you are a Petit Robert type or a Larousse type (which is somewhat along the same lines as the Mac or PC debate). As the French language is fairly anti-K, almost every one of the K words comes from another language - Russian, Japanese, English, or Turkish especially. Words like "knickerbockers," "knock-down," and "know-how" are obvious direct rips from English, but more interesting additions to the rigid dictionary include:

- the 1985 entry for the Japanese word "karoak�." Has that word really only been in France for 17 years? Will somebody with an American English dictionary please tell me when that word entered the American English language? My Australian English dictionary gives no date. It does, however, say that the word originates from Japanese kara empty + okesutora orchestra.

- the 1990 entry of the slang word "kiffer" (considered by some to be massively late in its apparition in the dictionary) from the Arabic word "kif", meaning "state of beauty." The French adaptation of the word is in the verb form, and means roughly the same thing as to "really dig something" or "find pleasure in something" in English. The funny part of this word is the interesting switch from a noun in Arabic to a verb in French. Francophones are somewhat like Anglophones in that they can just add a suffix and have a word. Apparently, English is one of the most dynamic languages because of our constant additions of things like -ly or -ish, which constantly creates new words.

- the 1916 intorudction of the word 'kaki" which means, yes, "khaki." It is certainly much more logical to spell it as such. Especially for a language that particularly likes to display a strange spelling pattern.

Then again, English can't boast about its spelling either. (see below)