DAI RISPOSTE - English

100% GOOD (2 votes)rispostoDomanda Linguistica
”la langue de bois”: how can we translate in English?

If you don't know what is "La langue de bois", I highly suggest you watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVqOC4fiHvk


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DAI RISPOSTE

will_stewa profile picture will_stewaMay 2021
That idiom doesn’t translate well. ”wooden tongue” wouldn’t be used. ”Tongue tied” would be better.
  • AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgMay 2021
    ”tongue tied” is an American English idiom used to describe being too embarrassed or shy to speak...

    ”la langue de bois” in French is all about speech which is endless without saying anything substantial - to divert attention from what is important and/or relevant.
AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgApril 2021
”la langue de bois” in English can be usually translated to ”waffle”.

The verb used is ”to waffle”. For excessively long periods of this, we use the phrasal verb ”to waffle on”.

Why the word ”waffle”. Waffles are light and have little substance.

Another word, especially applicable for politicians is ”hot air”. Again, similar explanation as for ”waffle”

If there is emotion in the voice of someone waffling, then we might use the term ”babble”.

Literally, ”babble” is the rather meaningless sounds that a baby makes before speaking. Rather like someone babbling

If you want to emphasise the excruciating amount of time that someone babbles, you might use the phrasal verb ”to babble on”.