How did French people greet in 1400?

Question

In particular I'm looking for french expressions that a peasant like Saint Joan of Arc could have used to greet a friend.

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 29 '15 at 12:14

5

You could use one of the following expressions :

[Hé,] Que y'a ?

What's up?

Ayez un bon jour

Literally "Have a good day", used to say "Hello" (became "bonjour").

Diex vos sait (very formal)/Diex beneï toi

"God bless you", very ancient, used to start or end a conversation.

You can find more information in « Quelques formules de salutation en ancien français » (Anker Teilgàrd Laugesen, in Revue Romane, Vol. 8, 1973, 1-2).

edited Dec 29 '15 at 12:14

answered Dec 23 '15 at 13:04

BorbagUskada

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Could you please provide a proof (link) for this? – Dec 25 '15 at 11:06
@BorbagUskada do you know if "Ajez un bon jour" would be a proper greet for a new friend? I mean: today I can greet a just known friend of a friend: "Bonjour, je m'appelle Giacomo". Would "Ajez un bon jour" be equivalent to this use of bonjour? – Giacomo Tesio Dec 26 '15 at 19:39
Why would you tell a known friend your name? If you know him, shouldn't he already know your name? Seems superfluous… – Mason H. Hatfield Dec 26 '15 at 22:49
No I'm thinking of the case "friend of a friend": I meet a friend of a friend and I present myself. – Giacomo Tesio Dec 26 '15 at 23:17
@GiacomoTesio Yes, you could use "Ayez un bon jour(bon jor)" as the equivalent, but in this case I think "Diex vos sait" is maybe more adapted You can find here some details and more informations : https://tidsskrift.dk/index.php/revue_romane/article/view/11277/21396
"Diex vos sait" come from latin, but was very used in old french. "Que y'a" is very rural and not formal.
– BorbagUskada Dec 28 '15 at 13:08
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Could you provide a reference about "Que y'a"? – jlliagre Dec 29 '15 at 10:33

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 26 '15 at 18:59

Bonjour!

There is a possibility that many used the traditional Faire la bise, which means to give a kiss. This is not just the ordinary peck on the cheek, it is the double cheek kiss that we often see on older foreign films. It is a common way for the French to say their goodbyes and greetings. It is in no way used as a romantic display of affection.

I hope this helped!

Merci!

How did French people greet in 1400?

2 Answers2