And there are still hundreds of Walloon expressions left. So, is Laurent Dabe already working on a third opus? “So, not at all. This second book on Walloon expressions will be the lastassures the person concerned. A thousand is good. I have no desire to play Rambo 6, Rocky 10 or the Gendarme and the Gendarmettes.”
“Do not lose our mother tongue”
In this new work, illustrated and rich in 304 pages, the author classifies 300 physical or moral traits in alphabetical order. “Concretely, if you want to know what to say about a bald person, a miser or a scholar, just go to the right lettercontinues Laurent Dabe. I also tried to explain the origin of each expression. A lot of work but it allows the reader to immerse themselves in the past, in our history, whether economic, geographical or daily. The last part also allows us to have the Walloon counterpart of French expressions. My favorite expression? Oh, it’s not that easy. I’m still going to say”
Passionate about Walloon, Laurent Dabe wishes to pass on this linguistic heritage even if the man, who takes Walloon lessons in Bièvre with Lucien Mahin, knows that the language is in the process of disappearing.. “With compulsory education, Walloon was spoken less and lesshe slips. I remember my mother telling me that the student who spoke Walloon at school had to go to the corner. And gradually, after two generations, not many people spoke this language. But losing our mother tongue would be like losing everything that our ancestors thought, expressed, bequeathed….”
If you want to buy the book, you must contact Laurent Dabe by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 0492 79 86 51. The price is €24.
It is also possible to obtain the book in a few points of sale: in Bastogne, Libramont, Bouillon, Neufchâteau, Tenneville, Marche and Virton are also
