[00:00.00]Music [00:11.00]Now, the VOA Special English program [00:14.83]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:17.48]A listener from Venezuela [00:20.21]sent us a question about the meaning [00:22.50]of the expression mayday. [00:25.14]He wrote that he often hears [00:28.48]this expression in movies. [00:30.42]Mayday is an emergency code word. [00:35.14]It is used around the world [00:37.88]in voice communications. [00:40.22]You might see a war movie [00:43.26]in which an airplane has been [00:45.64]hit by rocket fire. [00:47.44]The pilot gets on his radio [00:49.97]and calls "mayday, mayday, mayday" [00:53.51]to tell that his plane is [00:55.90]in danger of crashing to the ground. [00:58.63]Mayday has nothing to do [01:01.62]with the month of May. [01:03.86]It comes from the French expressions [01:07.09]"venez m'aider," or "m'aidez," [01:11.52]which mean "help me." [01:13.51]Frederick Stanley Mockford created [01:16.60]the mayday call signal [01:18.59]in the nineteen twenties. [01:20.73]Mockford was a radio officer [01:23.71]at Croydon Airport in London. [01:26.95]He was asked to think of a word [01:29.74]that could be used in an emergency. [01:32.88]The word had to be easily understood [01:36.37]by all pilots and airport workers. [01:40.08]Much of the air traffic at that time [01:43.61]was between Croydon Airport [01:46.36]and Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France. [01:50.55]So he proposed the word mayday. [01:54.43]Today, many groups use the word [01:58.31]to mean a life-threatening emergency. [02:01.45]The call is always given three times [02:05.43]to prevent mistaking it [02:07.92]for some similar sounding words. [02:10.36]Many other French words [02:13.39]are commonly used in English. [02:16.03]One of these words is even [02:19.11]in the Special English Word Book. [02:21.55]It is sabotage. It means to damage [02:26.53]or destroy as an act of subversion [02:29.61]against an organization or nation. [02:33.05]You may have heard the term [02:35.64]laissez-faire to describe [02:38.17]a kind of economic or political policy. [02:42.21]It means to leave alone and not interfere. [02:46.78]It was first used in France [02:49.67]in the eighteenth century. [02:52.46]In the business world, [02:54.85]entrepreneur is another French word. [02:58.93]It means a person who starts [03:02.27]and operates a new business [03:04.76]and has responsibility [03:07.10]for any risks involved. [03:09.59]Many French words are used in the arts. [03:13.92]For example, a film noir is a movie [03:18.59]about murder and other crimes. [03:21.73]These films were popular [03:24.12]in the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties. [03:28.30]Anything in art, music or literature [03:32.43]which is very modern or ahead of [03:35.61]its time is called avant-garde. [03:38.95]If you are looking for a job, [03:41.69]you must prepare your résumé. [03:44.67]This document lists all of your education, [03:48.20]skills and experience. [03:51.05]Something that is one of a kind [03:54.24]and like no other thing is called unique. [03:59.01]The French are famous for their food. [04:02.65]All cooks need to know how to sauté. [04:06.98]This is frying something quickly [04:09.46]in a small amount of oil or butter. [04:12.45]When you are eating at a restaurant, [04:15.54]the server may tell you bon appétit, [04:19.02]which means good appetite, [04:21.56]or enjoy your meal. And if you go away, [04:25.44]someone may wish you [04:27.63]bon voyage or have a good trip. [04:31.16](MUSIC) [04:38.23]This program was written [04:39.77]by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus. [04:42.81]You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES [04:45.84]at our Web site, chinavoa.com.

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