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 Tips
and Notes > Waterways: Lock, Lockkeeper ... |
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French Waterways Words
and Phrases
Lock, Lockkeeper and "Locking through" |
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The canals of France have their own specialized vocabulary.
Here are handy French
words and phrases that you will see, hear (and use!) as you
take your boat through the locks and canals of France and Belgium.
Scroll down or click
on any word below ...
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For more words and phrases related to
Locks and Waterways, see the Canals chapter in FRENCH FOR
CRUISERS. |
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 The
examples below are organized in three columns, showing the English,
French and Pronunciation
for each word or phrase.
Notice
that certain letters are printed in gray
in the French column. These letters
are silent in that French word. So don't pronounce the gray
letters.
 English
... |
French
... |
Pronunciation
... |
| lock |
l’ (f)
écluse |
eh-klêwz |
| to lock |
écluser |
eh-klêw-zeh |
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Top
Top
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ÉclusePronunciation:
Eh-klêwz
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Une
écluse
is a lock on a canal or waterway.
It raises
or lowers the boats that travel through it to the water level of
the next section of canal. |
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A lock may be
manuelle
(manual) and operated by turning cranks and manually opening
the portes
(gates). More often these days the
lock is électrifiée
(electric), and may even be
automatisée
(automatic), controlled by the user
by pressing a button on a panel or turning a pole hung over the
canal.
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A lock will have one or more chambers
(French: sas).
Une
écluse
simple
has only one sas (chamber),
but you will also find doubles
and triples
with two and three
chambers for greater changes in water level.
The locks at Fonserranes on the Canal du Midi have
seven chambers in a row forming an échelle
d’écluses
(ladder of locks) that raises
or lowers boats a total of 13.6 meters (45 feet).
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| lock |
l’
(f) écluse |
eh-klêwz |
| ... manual |
... manuelle |
... man-wehl |
| ... electric |
... électrifiée |
... eh-lehk-treef-yeh |
| ... automatic |
... automatisée
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... oh-toh-mah-tee-zeh |
| gate (of lock) |
la porte
(d 'écluse) |
pohrt deh-klêwz |
| chamber |
le sas |
sahss |
| ladder of locks |
l’ (f)
échelle d’écluses |
eh-shehl deh-klêwz |
For more words and phrases related to Locks
and Waterways see the Canals and Waterways chapter in FRENCH FOR
CRUISERS. |
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Top
Top
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Éclusie r, Éclusièr e
A lockkeeper
is called ... |
un éclusier
Pronunciation:
eh-klêwz-yeh
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or
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une
éclusière
Pronunciation:
eh-klêwz-yehr
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French lockkeepers are employed by the VNF
(Voies
Navigables de
France).
 What
is VNF ...
Some work for the VNF
year-around and live in the maison d’éclusier
(lockkeeper’s house). For others
it is a seasonal job, and they return to school or their jobs
when the summer season is over.
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| lockkeeper |
l’
(m) éclusier |
eh-klêwz-yeh |
| l’ (f)
éclusière |
eh-klêwz-yehr |
| lockkeeper’s house |
la maison d'éclusier
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meh-zohn deh-klêwz-yeh |
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En français
Passer l’écluse
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