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(promotional) flyer = φέιγ-βολάν (και η προέλευση του φέιγ-βολάν)

cosmasad

Member
Good morning friends and happy holidays,

I wonder what the closest Greek equivalent would be to the English "flyer" - meaning a piece of paper, usually page size, (anotherwords, not a poster) that has some kind of advertisement or announcement on it? The only thing that comes to mind is "αφισα". Anything else?

Thank you.

Cosmas
 
I believe the most precise term would be "φέιγ-βολάν" (from the French), although you could also say "φυλλάδιο", especially for a handout flyer.
 

nickel

Administrator
Staff member
Before flyer (first use: 1889), the English term for it was fly-sheet (1833) and flying sheet (1769). Same as the French feuille volante.

Some interesting background here:

http://www.academie-francaise.fr/flyer

I'll translate it later, late in the evening, unless someone whose French is better than mine finds the time.
 

nickel

Administrator
Staff member
And here's my translation of that beautiful story:

This Anglicism could easily be replaced by [the French words] “tract” or “prospectus”, but one could also opt for the term “feuille volante” [flying sheet]—for services rendered to democracy. To explain this, let’s call to mind a point in history too often unknown. The Philhellenes, who at the start of the nineteenth century were trying to help the Greeks in their struggle for independence against the Ottoman empire, were active in various ways: Lord Byron went to fight and die in Greece with a handful of men that we can consider as the precursors of the International Brigades; others, such as Hugo, Chateaubriand, or Lamartine, supported them with their writings.

[The printer and type founder] Firmin Didot brought Greeks to Paris, whom he trained as printers, and fitted out small ships called “gaozes” *, on board which they hid printing equipment he had provided them with. As those vessels travelled hugging the coast, it was harder for the Turkish police to spot them, arrest the printers and destroy the machines. From port to port the printed leaflets were taken ashore and distributed, and, in tribute to Firmin Didot, those clandestine printers gave them the French name “feuilles volantes”. Our language is indebted to Greece for a large part of its vocabulary and, in particular, the word “democracy”. It would be unfortunate if we did not use the expression that Greek borrowed from us when the country fought for its independence.

http://www.academie-francaise.fr/flyer

* I haven't managed to verify this term.
 
Ναι, τα τρικάκια είναι μικρά σε μέγεθος (μέχρι 1/4 της σελίδας Α4 και συνήθως 1/8). Η χρήση του όρου "φέιγ-βολάν" νομίζω ότι έχει υποχωρήσει αισθητά. Έχω την εντύπωση ότι ο όρος που χρησιμοποιείται σήμερα ευρέως είναι το σκέτο "διαφημιστικό" (π.χ. μοιράζουν διαφημιστικά για το τάδε), ενώ υπονοείται το "φυλλάδιο" και ενίοτε το "έντυπο".
 
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