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From these 27 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list L’usage des prénoms looks like « the usage of first names » and means something a good deal firmer: the custom, the settled family habit of calling the eldest son after his grandfather. L’usage does three jobs in French, and only one of them is the English word. The first is the plain act of using something: l’usage du tabac , à usage unique on a wrapper hors d’usage of a thing that is past it les usages du pays are its ways of doing things, il est d’usage de remercier par écrit says that this is what one does, and la formule d’usage is the sentence everybody writes because everybody writes it. The third is linguistic — le bon usage , un mot sorti de l’usage — and that sense English really does share. So a genealogist who reads l’usage des prénoms as a statistic about how often names are used has turned a rule that repeats over four generations into a frequency count, and will look for it in the wrong column.
The words
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Noun (m) (13)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
le tableau de descendance the descendant chart Noun (m) C2 Le tableau de descendance part d’un couple et va vers le bas. The descendant chart starts from a couple and works downwards.
le registre d’état civil the civil register Noun (m) C2 Le registre d’état civil commence après la Révolution. The civil register begins after the Revolution.
le livret de famille the family record book Noun (m) C2 Le livret de famille suit un ménage toute sa vie. The family record book follows a household all its life.
l’acte de baptême the baptism entry Noun (m) C2 L’acte de baptême nomme aussi les parrains. The baptism entry names the godparents as well.
l’acte de mariage religieux the church marriage record Noun (m) C2 L’acte de mariage religieux donne parfois l’âge des époux. The church marriage record sometimes gives the age of the spouses.
l’acte de sépulture the burial record Noun (m) C2 L’acte de sépulture dit rarement de quoi la personne est morte. The burial record rarely says what the person died of.
le dossier d’émigration the emigration file Noun (m) C2 Le dossier d’émigration contient la demande et la réponse. The emigration file contains the application and the answer.
le dossier de succession the probate file Noun (m) C2 Le dossier de succession énumère tous les héritiers. The probate file lists every heir.
l’usage des prénoms the naming custom Noun (m) C2 L’usage des prénoms se répète de génération en génération. The naming custom repeats from one generation to the next.
le patronyme the patronymic Noun (m) C2 Le patronyme change d’orthographe presque à chaque acte. The patronymic changes its spelling in almost every record.
l’argument de preuve the proof argument Noun (m) C2 L’argument de preuve relie les indices en une seule chaîne. The proof argument links the clues into a single chain.
le centimorgan the centimorgan Noun (m) C2 Le centimorgan mesure la longueur d’un segment partagé. The centimorgan measures the length of a shared segment.
le journal de recherche the research log Noun (m) C2 Le journal de recherche note aussi ce qu’on n’a pas trouvé. The research log records what was not found as well.
Noun (f) (14)
Grammar for these: Definite article: le, la, les · Indefinite article: un, une
la liste de recensement the census return Noun (f) C2 La liste de recensement montre tout le ménage d’un coup. The census return shows the whole household at one go.
la liste des passagers the passenger list Noun (f) C2 La liste des passagers donne le port de départ. The passenger list gives the port of departure.
l’inscription foncière the land register entry Noun (f) C2 L’inscription foncière relie une famille à une parcelle. The land register entry ties a family to a plot.
la variante d’écriture the spelling variant Noun (f) C2 Une variante d’écriture ne fait pas une autre personne. A spelling variant does not make a different person.
la source dérivée the derivative source Noun (f) C2 La source dérivée recopie et se trompe parfois. A derivative source copies out and sometimes gets it wrong.
la preuve contradictoire conflicting evidence Noun (f) C2 La preuve contradictoire oblige à choisir et à dire pourquoi. Conflicting evidence forces you to choose and to say why.
la recherche raisonnablement exhaustive the reasonably exhaustive search Noun (f) C2 La recherche raisonnablement exhaustive passe par toutes les sources connues. A reasonably exhaustive search goes through every known source.
l’impasse généalogique the brick wall Noun (f) C2 L’impasse généalogique cède souvent grâce à un voisin. The brick wall often gives way thanks to a neighbour.
la ligne collatérale the collateral line Noun (f) C2 La ligne collatérale porte souvent la réponse. The collateral line often carries the answer.
la recherche d’entourage cluster research Noun (f) C2 La recherche d’entourage suit les témoins et les voisins. Cluster research follows the witnesses and the neighbours.
la généalogie génétique genetic genealogy Noun (f) C2 La généalogie génétique confirme un arbre ou le renverse. Genetic genealogy confirms a tree or overturns it.
l’endogamie endogamy Noun (f) C2 L’endogamie gonfle les liens apparents entre cousins. Endogamy inflates the apparent ties between cousins.
la rupture de filiation the break in the recorded descent Noun (f) C2 La rupture de filiation apparaît sans prévenir. The break in the recorded descent turns up without warning.
la protection des vivants the protection of the living Noun (f) C2 La protection des vivants s’arrête où commence l’histoire. The protection of the living stops where history begins.
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