Working Languages

There are reports in the Brussels media of a strange phenomenon currently to be observed in the linguistically divided capital, with adjacent cinemas advertising Hollywood's latest blockbuster variously as Knight and Day (for Dutch-speakers) and Night and Day (for Francophones).

Vreemd fenomeen in Brussel: op de ene hoek van de straat heet de nieuwe prent van Tom Cruise 'Knight And Day', aan de andere kant is het 'Night And Day'.

"Géén drukfout", zegt filmverdeler Twentieth Century Fox. "Voor Wallonië en Brussel hebben we de Franse titel overgenomen. In Parijs hebben onze collega's beslist om de 'K' te laten vallen omdat Franstaligen te veel moeite zouden hebben om het woord 'Knight' uit te spreken."

The distributor explains that the decision to drop the initial 'k' from the "French" title was made in Paris. The reason being the apparent inability of French-speakers to get their tongues around the word knight.

Mysteriously, however, they are assumed to be perfectly capable of pronouncing night.

In benighted French Canada, where even this common English word must be beyond them, the movie has been released as Nuit et Jour.