Question -
Answer -
What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?
Answer:
Although the characters in the story speak in English, it was probably not their language. Guy De Maupassant, the writer wrote the story in French and it was later translated into English. There are ample pointers in the text that indicate the French origin of the characters such as the salutations used before the surnames of characters such ‘Monsieur and Mme Loisel’, ‘Mme Forestier’ and ‘George Ramponneau’, the minister’s name. Besides, the words used to denote currency such as ‘Franc’ and ‘Sou’. Then, the location of the shop was at ‘Palais Royal’ and ‘Champs Elysees’ that point out the French origin and history of the characters in the story.