[Wikipedia-l] RE: Current events and Indymedia

[Ray Saintonge]

Yann Forget wrote:

>The article on Activiste was put on my page by Francis. I thought that it 
>would be, with maybe some little changes, a good definition of French people 
>who called themselves activistes. Actually there is a controversy on the 
>translation of the English "activiste" into French. I think it is usually 
>translated as "militant", and that the English "militant" is translated into 
>"activiste". But some people think that the French "militant" is to 
>"passive", so they prefer the word "activiste".
>
What may be the case here is a that the relationships between the two 
words has gone in opposite directions in the two languages.  In English 
"activist" has the more passive connotations of being very involved. 
 "Militant" is used much less frequently, and carries an image of people 
ready for an armed uprising.

Eclecticology