daily life 2 - origin of tennis scoring terms
I was asked why tennis scoring is so illogical, and if it is because the French created it, and specifically, then, why the French don't use the term "deuce," & use "zero" rather than "love." "Egalite"????? What a weird term. did the Academy legislate that???
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now, Love is alleged to be a corruption of French "l'oeuf" (the egg--see US "snake eye", for zero). I am not sure, and certainly not convinced, of the veracity of this origin, just passing it on (it reeks of fake etymology, see also barbecue, rumored to be grilling the pig from one end to the other, from la barbe (beard) a la queue(tail) or au cul (rear end), when in fact it is a Spanish corruption (barbacoa) of a Carib word (for grilling meat/food on wood).
"Deuce" is a corruption of French deux, yes, in this case, the two players being even. This one makes sense. But then came .... the French revolutionary past and it became.... "egalite" ?
" Egalite," you ask? It is "Fraternite"'s brother (or sister--liberte, ah, mes amis, that would take much too long--and then there are liberties, liberty, and Freedom, it is a whole lifetime treatise right there) and that "egalite" is true sportsmanship and fair play. I would suspect the Brits on this one, again: the French would not really call for fair play, although they will cry foul *IF* the foul play is against them, of course (the love of martyrdom, or rather the call, or need, for pity, is deeply etched in the French psyche--in equal parts with the love of their own grandeur, I might add.)
Over all, tennis scoring terminology is a point of contention between the French and the English, who accuse each other of having invented the wording for this sport (other points of contention: 'French letters' become 'capotes anglaises', and one could mention that syphillis is a French disease for the Brits, but Italian (le mal de Naples) for the French. Once in a while, do invite a third party in your arm-wrestling matches: it is more fun!)
Tennis scoring would appear to be way off any logic, too much so to have originated in a country that lauded cartesianism for so long.
Let's see if we could blame the Brits; in which case, it may have come from the same errant Anglo-Saxon mind that gives Americans the idea of overdoing it (safety or carpet bombing from on high; using 3 police cars and 2 ambulances for one fender bender; killing mosquitoes with a bazooka; the Hummer & Ford Navigator/Exterminator, etc.)--furthermore, maybe it was because of English fog ("foahhg"), to make sure no one would complain while attempting to play in their peasoup weather (about 358 afternoons of the year), which would be a cause of disorder in a rigidly English sport for so long --unbefitting a true gentleman, unthinkable for true ladies, to argue about a mere point on the line, and on which millimetric side of the line, perhaps....
And so, instead of counting 1,2,3,4 points and you're out, came an idea:
--Let's rake wide: give 15 points, and then another 15 for the next stroke.
--Wait a second! I say, that might be a wee bit much, mignt it nawt? At this rate, you play 6 or 7 times and you're at 100 points. I do beg for reconsideration.
--Well, well, well, well, indeed! Then, shall we make the next one 10 points only; are you happy, Nigel?
--Yes, Kenneth. Indeed, shall we play again? I think I could fancy a 15-point stroke and then that weird 15-30-40 bit of yours is a jolly good trick, I say. In fact, er, er, er, I say, I think we should blame the French for it! It is brilliantly contrived, devious, illogical, sarcastically convoluted, in short, .... FRENCH!
-- Brilliant, Nigel, indeed, I say, old chap, brilliant! We shall indeed blame the French again. This calls for a round of stout, or well, maybe just teeeaaa! No, a little brandy would be splendid, wouldn't you saaayy?. Well, well, now, it appears we cannot play any more, the foahhgg is coming in rather thickly, I dare say. Nigel, where are you? oh, my goodness, laddy, I can't see a thing, poor chap, where am I?...."
And voila how tennis scoring terms started!
===
now, Love is alleged to be a corruption of French "l'oeuf" (the egg--see US "snake eye", for zero). I am not sure, and certainly not convinced, of the veracity of this origin, just passing it on (it reeks of fake etymology, see also barbecue, rumored to be grilling the pig from one end to the other, from la barbe (beard) a la queue(tail) or au cul (rear end), when in fact it is a Spanish corruption (barbacoa) of a Carib word (for grilling meat/food on wood).
"Deuce" is a corruption of French deux, yes, in this case, the two players being even. This one makes sense. But then came .... the French revolutionary past and it became.... "egalite" ?
" Egalite," you ask? It is "Fraternite"'s brother (or sister--liberte, ah, mes amis, that would take much too long--and then there are liberties, liberty, and Freedom, it is a whole lifetime treatise right there) and that "egalite" is true sportsmanship and fair play. I would suspect the Brits on this one, again: the French would not really call for fair play, although they will cry foul *IF* the foul play is against them, of course (the love of martyrdom, or rather the call, or need, for pity, is deeply etched in the French psyche--in equal parts with the love of their own grandeur, I might add.)
Over all, tennis scoring terminology is a point of contention between the French and the English, who accuse each other of having invented the wording for this sport (other points of contention: 'French letters' become 'capotes anglaises', and one could mention that syphillis is a French disease for the Brits, but Italian (le mal de Naples) for the French. Once in a while, do invite a third party in your arm-wrestling matches: it is more fun!)
Tennis scoring would appear to be way off any logic, too much so to have originated in a country that lauded cartesianism for so long.
Let's see if we could blame the Brits; in which case, it may have come from the same errant Anglo-Saxon mind that gives Americans the idea of overdoing it (safety or carpet bombing from on high; using 3 police cars and 2 ambulances for one fender bender; killing mosquitoes with a bazooka; the Hummer & Ford Navigator/Exterminator, etc.)--furthermore, maybe it was because of English fog ("foahhg"), to make sure no one would complain while attempting to play in their peasoup weather (about 358 afternoons of the year), which would be a cause of disorder in a rigidly English sport for so long --unbefitting a true gentleman, unthinkable for true ladies, to argue about a mere point on the line, and on which millimetric side of the line, perhaps....
And so, instead of counting 1,2,3,4 points and you're out, came an idea:
--Let's rake wide: give 15 points, and then another 15 for the next stroke.
--Wait a second! I say, that might be a wee bit much, mignt it nawt? At this rate, you play 6 or 7 times and you're at 100 points. I do beg for reconsideration.
--Well, well, well, well, indeed! Then, shall we make the next one 10 points only; are you happy, Nigel?
--Yes, Kenneth. Indeed, shall we play again? I think I could fancy a 15-point stroke and then that weird 15-30-40 bit of yours is a jolly good trick, I say. In fact, er, er, er, I say, I think we should blame the French for it! It is brilliantly contrived, devious, illogical, sarcastically convoluted, in short, .... FRENCH!
-- Brilliant, Nigel, indeed, I say, old chap, brilliant! We shall indeed blame the French again. This calls for a round of stout, or well, maybe just teeeaaa! No, a little brandy would be splendid, wouldn't you saaayy?. Well, well, now, it appears we cannot play any more, the foahhgg is coming in rather thickly, I dare say. Nigel, where are you? oh, my goodness, laddy, I can't see a thing, poor chap, where am I?...."
And voila how tennis scoring terms started!
Labels: invention, tennis scoring, warped logic
posted by kingba at 9:28 PM
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