Mayday

As someone who got quite a good mark for French 'O' Level, I've always been rather puzzled by this assertion. If I wanted to say "help me" in French, I wouldn't say "m'aidez"; I'd say "aidez–moi".

According to Wikipedia, "The 'mayday' procedure word was originated in 1923, by a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. The officer, Frederick Stanley Mockford, was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the expression 'mayday' from the French m'aider ('help me'), a shortened form of venez m'aider ('come and help me')."

If this story – particularly the bit about it being a shortened version of venez m'aider – is true, I have to admit to being quite impressed by Mr. Mockford's command of the French language. The cynic in me, however, is inclined to believe instead that he really thought m'aidez was French for 'help me'.

The same cynic – not to mention the pedant – would also feel compelled to point out that venez m'aider doesn't really mean 'come and help me'. 'Come to help me' would, I'd suggest, be a more accurate translation. Or, as we'd be more likely to say in English, 'come to my aid'.

In reality, however, even this isn't something we'd be likely to cry out in an emergency situation. We'd just say "Help!"

What would a French person (not a radio operator) shout, in an emergency situation, to attract the attention of anyone within hearing? I don't know, but I suppose the nearest equivalent to "Help!" is probably "Assistance!".

I can't help feeling that a French person probably wouldn't say this; I also find it hard to believe that he (or she) would say "venez m'aider", or even abbreviate it to "m'aider". He (or she) would surely be much more likely to say "aidez–moi".