" Ah! well, my dear fellow," said he with the slight lisp which he affected, "Valentine is determined to put on a new gown.

« Ah ! bien ! mon cher, dit-il sans hâte, avec le petit zézaiement qu’il affectait, Valentine s’entête à mettre une robe neuve.

Zola, Emile / FruitfulnessZola, Emile / Les Quatre Evangiles - Fecondite

Les Quatre Evangiles - Fecondite

Zola, Emile

Fruitfulness

Zola, Emile

The grief of his life was that, being afflicted with a somewhat childish lisp, he had never been able to make his full merits known when a public prosecutor, for he esteemed himself to be a great orator.

Le désespoir de sa vie était qu’affligé d’un zézaiement un peu enfantin, il n’avait pu, dans la magistrature debout, remplir son mérite, car il se piquait d’être un grand orateur.

Zola, Emile / The Three Cities - ParisZola, Emile / Les Trois Villes - Paris

Les Trois Villes - Paris

Zola, Emile

The Three Cities - Paris

Zola, Emile

I saw the rotund figure of my late captor, and I thought I made out the man with the lisp.

Je reconnus la face ronde de celui qui m'avait capturé tout à l'heure, et crus distinguer aussi l'homme au zézaiement.

Buchan, John / Thirty-Nine StepsBuchan, John / Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Buchan, John

Thirty-Nine Steps

Buchan, John

She also affected a pretty lisp and a guileless air which was very original.

Avec cela, elle affectait un zézaiement adorable, un petit rire niais de la plus fine originalité.

Zola, Emile / His ExcellencyZola, Emile / Son Excellence Eugene Rougon

Son Excellence Eugene Rougon

Zola, Emile

His Excellency

Zola, Emile

Therese served the people with words that were ever the same, with a smile that appeared mechanically on her lisp.

Thérèse servait les clientes avec des paroles toujours semblables, avec un sourire qui montait mécaniquement à ses lèvres.

Zola, Emile / Therese RaquinZola, Emile / Therese Raquin

Therese Raquin

Zola, Emile

Therese Raquin

Zola, Emile

He brightened up, and wished to speak, but he could only lisp one syllable, ever the same, one of those syllables into which brats in swaddling-clothes put a whole host of sensations.

Il rayonnait, il voulait parler, mais il ne bégayait qu'une syllabe, toujours la même, une de ces syllabes où les enfants au maillot mettent un monde de sensations.

Zola, Emile / Pot-BouilleZola, Emile / Pot-Bouille

Pot-Bouille

Zola, Emile

Pot-Bouille

Zola, Emile

Scudder had said he lisped, and I could imagine how the adoption of a lisp might add terror.

D'après Scudder, il zézayait, et j'imaginais sans peine combien cette affectation pouvait contribuer à le rendre effrayant.

Buchan, John / Thirty-Nine StepsBuchan, John / Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Buchan, John

Thirty-Nine Steps

Buchan, John

One was a dark-eyed thin fellow with bushy eyebrows, the other was always smiling and lisped in his talk.

L'un était un garçon mince aux yeux noirs avec des sourcils touffus; l'autre souriait sans cesse et zézayait en parlant.

Buchan, John / Thirty-Nine StepsBuchan, John / Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Les Trente-Neuf Marches

Buchan, John

Thirty-Nine Steps

Buchan, John

So saying, he stroked that black beard of his which had been the source of so much of his success among the ladies. There was a somewhat sawny look about his handsome face, of which he was evidently vain, and he lisped as he spoke.

Il caressait sa superbe barbe noire, qui lui valait tant de succès parmi les dames; sa figure de bel homme vaniteux avait une douceur niaise; et il zézayait en parlant, par excès de politesse.

Zola, Emile / His ExcellencyZola, Emile / Son Excellence Eugene Rougon

Son Excellence Eugene Rougon

Zola, Emile

His Excellency

Zola, Emile

At last the presiding judge again raised his lisping voice, and managed to restore silence.

Et, de nouveau, la voix zézayante du président obtint le silence.

Zola, Emile / The Three Cities - ParisZola, Emile / Les Trois Villes - Paris

Les Trois Villes - Paris

Zola, Emile

The Three Cities - Paris

Zola, Emile

A strange lisping noise interrupts him.

Un étrange zézaiement l’interrompt.

Barbusse, Henri / Under fireBarbusse, Henri / Le feu

Le feu

Barbusse, Henri

© BELENUS, 2008

Under fire

Barbusse, Henri

© 1917 by E. P. DUTTON & CO

Lying back in his easy chair, closely enveloped in a padded robe of violet silk, although the weather was still quite warm, he smilingly listened to the young Abbé's womanish voice as he softly lisped the strophes of Anacreon.

Renversé au fond d'un fauteuil, frileusement enveloppé dans une douillette de soie violette, bien que la saison fut encore très-chaude, il écoutait avec un sourire la voix féminine du jeune abbé qui scandait amoureusement des strophes d'Anacréon.

Zola, Emile / The Conquest of PlassansZola, Emile / La Conquete des Plassans

La Conquete des Plassans

Zola, Emile

The Conquest of Plassans

Zola, Emile

And it was pitiful to see that feared and flattered man, beneath whom states and governments trembled, here turn pale with anxiety, bend low in all humility, and relapse into the senile, lisping infancy of acute passion.

Et cela faisait pitié que de voir cet homme redouté, adulé, sous lequel les États tremblaient, pâlir là d’inquiétude, se plier très humble, retomber à l’enfance sénile et zézayante du désir.

Zola, Emile / The Three Cities - ParisZola, Emile / Les Trois Villes - Paris

Les Trois Villes - Paris

Zola, Emile

The Three Cities - Paris

Zola, Emile