Slow Travel Talk  Hop To Forum Categories  FOREIGN LANGUAGES  Hop To Forums  French Language Talk    Looking for French translation of "intelligentsia"

Moderators: David

Closed Topic Closed
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
  Login/Join 
Jila
New Member
Posted
Hi there!

I am interested to know the French equivalent of the English word "intelligentsia"

The English definition is:

intelligentsia, noun: "The intellectual elite of a society."

Thank you
Jila
 
Posts: 1 | Registered: 17 December 2005Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
PatrickLondon

Slow Traveler
Posted Hide Post
My understanding is that "l'intelligence" can be a collective noun with the exact meaning you want. If the context makes that seem ambiguous, I'd say "les intellectuels", or even "l'élite intellectuelle".


Autolycus
 
Posts: 521 | Location: London (Isle of Dogs) | Registered: 22 February 2005Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
PatrickLondon

Slow Traveler
Posted Hide Post
If you want to be pejorative (and I suspect the origins of the word in Russian meant it probably was used as such more often than not), you could throw in the adjective "soi-disant"...!


Autolycus
 
Posts: 521 | Location: London (Isle of Dogs) | Registered: 22 February 2005Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
yymca6Premium Membership
Slow Traveler
Posted Hide Post
We either use the word «intelligentsia» itself as it comes from Latin, so readily accepted, or if you absolutely want to use French words «l'élite intellectuelle» is accepted.
 
Posts: 253 | Location: Montreal, QC | Registered: 02 April 2005Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
KevinWidrow

Slow Traveler
Posted Hide Post
How about one of my favorites:

"les grosses têtes"


Kevin Widrow
www.masperreal.com
 
Posts: 1148 | Location: Provence | Registered: 13 February 2004Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
lagatta

Slow Traveler
Posted Hide Post
Intelligentsia (feminine noun) is as common a word in French as it is in English. You could also simply speak of les intellectuels (feminine intellectuelles), slang les intellos.
 
Posts: 868 | Location: Montréal | Registered: 29 January 2006Edit or Delete MessageReport This Post
 Previous Topic | Next Topic powered by eve community  

Closed Topic Closed
    Slow Travel Talk  Hop To Forum Categories  FOREIGN LANGUAGES  Hop To Forums  French Language Talk    Looking for French translation of "intelligentsia"

© SlowTrav.com 2000 - 2008