French pun on Python! :-)

[Fred Pacquier]

pinard at iro.umontreal.ca (François Pinard) said :

>Hi, people.
>While introducing Python to a few friends, I noticed they tend to
>naturally use `je Pythonne', `nous Pythonnons', etc. as an easy pun on
>the word Python. I think that English people pronounce `pie-ton', while
>French people say `pea-to[n]' (said faster, with the `n' silent).  This
>has the same sounds as for the word `piton'.  A `piton' is a familiar
>word to design any mechanical device on which someone pushes, like an
>electrical button, or often, one of the keys of a computer keyboard. 
>So, `je pitonne', `nous pitonnons', etc. already became a familiar way
>to express any soft computer hacking. I thought this might amuse some of
>you. 

At least for this one it does :-)
Note that this is idiomatic of "canadian" French -- on this side of the
pond uses of 'piton' tend to me more restrictive (apart from slang
variants). A 'piton' is essentially one of two things : either a very
sharp, pointy moutain summit (like a peak), or the metal pikes that
climbers drive into rock or ice to fasten their security ropes (the verb
form, 'pitonner', explicitely refers to this latter activity). Either
way, I find this neologism ('to python') has interesting implications for
the language and its users (climbing higher, being secure, driving nails
home, etc... :-)) 

-- 
YAFAP : http://www.multimania.com/fredp/