What do you think of the name "liseuse?"

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by kazbates

Well said, Zelda!

No one is pushing the term, except maybe in the Lounge where that sort of thing is accepted and even encouraged. I actually thing this thread should be in the lounge because we are starting to move toward the ridiculous. If you don't like the term, don't use it. Pretty simple, really.

And well said Kaz. This thread is slowly but surely starting to draw a drift between the english speaking and the french speaking community here, with no valuable reason really. Call the thing whatever you want, in France and some french speaking countries it will be called something else, partly because legally it has to. I do not want to go the road of explaining why, I have to do it everyday at home with my german husband. If you search the web, you will find the necessary explanations.
However I have to add that I am not under the impression that "a minority is trying to impose something on the majority" here. Until a few days, as a matter of fact, I did not feel I belonged to a minority here, but to a community, which is a much nicer feeling, and I'd really like it to stay that way.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Can't call it an ipocket. Apple owns all the words starting with a lowercase i.

No. Apple does NOT own words starting with a lowercase i.

They only own all words where
1. the first letter is a lowercase i AND
2. the second letter is uppercase one AND
3. the rest of the word is lowercase



So. ipocket is relatively safe to use, but I personally would be VERY wary of using word iPocket.

Ooops!
I hope Apple lawyers won't sent a "cease and desist" letter to MR

[Lemurion]

So let's call them iaPples

[elena]

I don't like it; at least to my (Italian) ear it's not too much a pleasant sound.
Besides, French is pretty out of fashion here and people pronounce it worse than English (and that's saying something!)

[Grauheim]

I don't like the parochial flavour of some of the responses here, but indeed in France I have never seen or heard "liseuse" used to describe an ebook reader. It really does seem to be a term that has been made up on this forum.

I wonder if there will ever be a simple generic term for these devices, though. We never got a good one for "MP3 Player", for example. And the terms "laptop" and "notebook" still seem to be competing as synonyms. My suspicion is that for now, the general public will refer to all ebook readers as a "Kindle" (and the rest of us will wince.) As for me, I seem to just call mine my "book".

[orwell2k]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

hm, really ? because it seems to me all the "antagonism" is coming from people opposed to the word, actually. in fact it's quite surprising to observe some of the reactions.

as for the use of liseuse in french, ebooks in general are just starting out here, and almost no-one knows about them. therefore, it's quite normal that *no* word has become common usage yet. however, "liseuse" is used by most of the french blogs talking about dedicated reading devices. the general public has no idea what an ebook is to start with, whatever word you choose, you have to explain it anyway.

Well said (again)...

I'm not French and can barely pronounce Bonjour, but the word "liseuse" really appeals to me for some reason. I think it's cool, and why shouldn't non-English regions have their own term for something like an eReader instead of importing the English? Seems a bit arrogant of the English-speaking countries to demand that the rest of the world adopts the English term.

It's not uncommon for devices to be "renamed" in non-English speaking countries. The first time I was in Germany I didn't know what the hell a "Handy" was until someone explained it was what Germans call a mobile phone. And even in English-speaking countries there is often some disagreement - in most places a mobile phone is a mobile phone, but the term often used in the US is cell phone. Sure, yanks can figure out what you mean when you say mobile, and the rest of the world can figure out what a cell or cell phone is, in context.

I did a quick google for the term "liseuse" and found this which may be of interest (I underlined an interesting sentence in the quote below, which sort of makes adoption of the term liseuse somewhat justified):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liseuse_desk

A Liseuse desk is a medium sized writing table with a small hinged panel in the middle which can spring up by the aid of a mechanism or be propped up at a desired angle to facilitate reading, or writing on its slanted surface. Many have lateral panels which swing out on both sides to give a larger desk surface.

The name comes from "liseuse" which is the feminine form of "liseur" in French. This is often translated as "reader" but it is used normally to describe a person who really likes to read, while a simple reader is called "lecteur" or "lectrice" in the feminine gender. This is one indication of who this type of desk was originally marketed to.

The Liseuse is an antique desk form which was popular in France during the 18th century and produced again in the first part of the 19th century. It was copied in several continental countries and in the United Kingdom.

Many Liseuses are polyvalent pieces of furniture with a double or triple use. Geared towards an 18th century feminine market for the most part, they often have drawers made specially for storing toiletry and cosmetics in addition to the drawer or drawers containing paper, quill, ink and other writing implements.

See also the list of desk forms and types.

Anyway, just to make waves I'm voting in favour of the word...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Grauheim

I don't like the parochial flavour of some of the responses here, but indeed in France I have never seen or heard "liseuse" used to describe an ebook reader. It really does seem to be a term that has been made up on this forum.

I wonder if there will ever be a simple generic term for these devices, though. We never got a good one for "MP3 Player", for example. And the terms "laptop" and "notebook" still seem to be competing as synonyms. My suspicion is that for now, the general public will refer to all ebook readers as a "Kindle" (and the rest of us will wince.) As for me, I seem to just call mine my "book".

Wouldn't "lecteur" - "reader" - be a more obvious French word to use?

[Mare of Earth]

"liseuse" - I can't figure out how to pronounce the word correctly - assuming correctly somehow does away with the similarity to the word "lice".....

I always just call mine my ebook reader, or ebook.

If we need a formal, agreed upon term, how about calling them what they were originally introduced to most of us as - the PADD.

Because, let's be honest here - how many of us were envious of the Star Trek reading devices, and have compared our ebook readers to the awesome Personal Access Display Devices shown so frequently in Star Trek?

I know I have. Many times. Many many many times.

So, my vote is to call them PADDs - since ebook reader doesn't seem popular.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Mare of Earth

So, my vote is to call them PADDs - since ebook reader doesn't seem popular.

How about simplifying (and frenchifying) it to:

le Datapad

- Ahi

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Wouldn't "lecteur" - "reader" - be a more obvious French word to use?

It sounds too much like lecture, which I've never been found of seeing as how many of them I received from my parents during my formative years!

Originally Posted by ahi

How about simplifying (and frenchifying) it to:

le Datapad

- Ahi

I'm sorry, Ahi! It's just not a sexy as "liseuse".

[yekim54]

Originally Posted by kacir

No. Apple does NOT own words starting with a lowercase i.

They only own all words where
1. the first letter is a lowercase i AND
2. the second letter is uppercase one AND
3. the rest of the word is lowercase

I heard a rumor that Apple will introduce their iLiseuse in Paris later this year.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by kazbates

It sounds too much like lecture, which I've never been found of seeing as how many of them I received from my parents during my formative years!

Of course it sounds the same - it's the same word .

[ahi]

Originally Posted by kazbates

I'm sorry, Ahi! It's just not a sexy as "liseuse".

Maybe...

le Datapad Sexifique

- Ahi

[ahi]

Or just Sexifique for short.

"Oh, Honey? Have you seen where I put my Sexifique? I want to read some Kafka before dinner..."

- Ahi

[dmikov]

Originally Posted by orwell2k

I'm not French and can barely pronounce Bonjour, but the word "liseuse" really appeals to me for some reason. I think it's cool, and why shouldn't non-English regions have their own term for something like an eReader instead of importing the English? Seems a bit arrogant of the English-speaking countries to demand that the rest of the world adopts the English term.

You missed the trigger for this poll, it is not forcing the world to use English word, it was asking for courtesy to use English word in English language forums.