A general question

Jillian M.C1Kwiziq community member

A general question

Why is it 'cote d'Azure' but 'cote atlantique'?

 

Asked 9 months ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Jillian,

Here "atlantique" is an adjective referring to a proper noun/name (i.e the Altantic being the ocean). "D' Azur" means "de couleur bleue" and was invented by a French writer, Stéphen Liégeard, in 1887. He was originally from "la Côte d'Or" department and used the same name structure to substitute the azure colour of the Mediterranean. 

See here for more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Riviera

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Maeve L.A2Kwiziq community member

This still doesn’t sound correct. Atlantic is a name not a noun, just like Azur is a name.

CélineNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Bonjour Maeve,

I have amended my previous reply.

I hope this is clearer.

Bonne journée !

A general question

Why is it 'cote d'Azure' but 'cote atlantique'?

 

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Getting that for you now...