Go ahead and call “champagne” “champagne” even if it’s not from the “Champagne” region of France
Yes, I woke up and chose violence today.
I am picturing my French friends aghast at this proclamation, but this doesn’t concern you, Frenchies. This conversation is for anglophones only. Y’all do what y’all gotta do. (With a language whose word endings -é, ée, -er, -et, -es, -ai, -ais, -ait, -and aient are all pronounced the same, I’m coming for you next.)
As a board certified Wordologist with a PhD from a very fancy university in Words, I am here to tell you that you can 100% tell that person who says “You know, it’s only really champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France; everything else is just sparkling wine,” to suck it.
Here’s why:
“Champagne” is an eponym.
Eponym (n): An eponym is a person, place, or thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. (Thank you, Wikipedia)
The word “champagne” has evolved, just like words evolve, just like language evolves. This is why we no longer speak like Shakespeare and why Shakespeare didn’t speak like Chaucer. This is why we speak differently — even if just slightly — differently than our grandparents. Both my grandparents died in the early aughts and…
