Cause célèbre
A cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres, French-language for "famous cause") is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate.[1] The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases.[2] It is a French phrase in common usage in English. The phrase originated with the 37-volume Nouvelles Causes Célèbres, published in 1763, Old French (Anglo-Norman) was the language of the legal profession in England, starting about 200 years after the Norman conquest in 1066 (the years 1275 - 1310), to about 1731. Some of the Old French used at that time (Law French) remains in use today as English pronounced Anglo-French words: "appeal, attorney, bailiff, bar, claim, complaint, counsel, court, defendant, demurrer, evidence, indictment, judge, judgment, jury, justice, party, plaintiff, plea, plead, sentence, sue, suit, summon, verdict and voir dire." While there are many French looking words, they may not correspond to Modern French (for example "voir" in voir dire is a completely different meaning. In this case also, the "dĭr" pronunciation of Modern French is washed in English to produce "dīre" which follows the rule of an English word ending in an "e" making the "i" long.[3]
References
- ^ The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy; third edition, 2002.
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language; fourth edition, 2000.
- ^ "The Nature of Legal Language". languageandlaw.org. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
See also
- Landmark decision
- List of French words and phrases used by English speakers
- Media circus
- Missing White Woman Syndrome
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