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375 points begueradj | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.2s | source
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Demiurge ◴[] No.45672299[source]
This is slightly off-topic, but is it "jail" or "prison"? I see this switch all the time, and French does not make a difference. But, in English, and many other languages, jail is more specific than prison, and is usually for short term or pre-sentencing holding. If someone is sentenced, it's usually a different facility called "prison". Is BBC making a mistake, or are they actually saying Sarkozy will be held in in an actual jail?
replies(3): >>45672326 #>>45672355 #>>45672548 #
1. NelsonMinar ◴[] No.45672355[source]
The relevant word here is "Prison", the French noun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Sant%C3%A9_Prison

The BBC article is using the two terms interchangably. Very few readers are concerned about the distinction you are making.