Timeline for Why do we use a French term for a currency-exchange office?

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May 9, 2012 at 12:16	comment	added	Roaring Fish		Yes, absolutely. The French influence on 'officialese' is beyond doubt - even 'department' is of French origin. While you can argue that the word 'bureau' itself is not recorded until the 17th century, and its use for an government office until 18th century, the tradition of using French words was definitely established by the Norman Conquest. Even today, French origin words such as 'commence' are seen as a more educated register than older words such as 'start' or 'begin'.
May 8, 2012 at 16:30	comment	added	Widor		But do you think the naming of something as relatively recent as Bureaux de change would have been indirectly influenced by the Norman invasion? I'd have thought the need for high-street currency exchange only sprang up in the 60s and 70s as international tourism increased - why wouldn't "Foreign Exchange" have sufficed?
May 8, 2012 at 16:04	history	answered	Roaring Fish	CC BY-SA 3.0