Viva La Vie Boheme. What language?

[MimiLovesRoger]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:11pm

Sorry, but I'm such a dork, and i need to know what language 'Viva la vie boheme' is in. (I'm doing this paper for history on my perfect Utopian society, and our motto is VLVB.) I know it means Live the Bohemian Life, but what language is it in?

Thanks in advance!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:12pm

French

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:21pm

Well, sort of. "La vie boheme" is French, but "viva" is either Spanish or Italian. I'm not sure why Larson did that, except that "viva la vie" sounds better and is easier to chant then "vive la vie."

Maybe someone who speaks French can correct me, but I'm almost positive "viva" is not a French word, at least in this context.

[jess20882]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:25pm

i'm fluent in french. you're definitely right that viva is spanish and italian, but the french also use it as a 'cool' slang form of 'vive'.

hope that helps!

[MimiLovesRoger]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:26pm

Yes, yes it does. Thanks!!

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:26pm

Cool, thanks. I didn't know that.

I wonder if Larson did, or if he just wrote "viva" because it sounded better.

*shrug*

[Calvin]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:27pm

Maybe he really liked the salad dressing of the same name.

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:28pm

Isn't La Boheme (the opera) written in Italian?

[WickedRentEder]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:29pm

As a Spanish speaker, 'viva' can be used as a cheer, but literally it means 'alive'. So Viva La Vie Boheme can be taken as "Hooray for the Bohemian Life" or "long live the bohemian life". Either way it's fine.

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:30pm

Yes, it is.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:31pm

Also, this is more of a connotation than a direct translation, but generally when people shout "Viva la [something]!" they mean it like "long live," as in, "Long live the king!" So it's more than just a suggestion to "live the bohemian life," they are celebrating the lifestyle and announcing that it is here to stay. If you notice where the phrase falls in the musical, it is right after Benny tried to quietly push the bohemians out of their space and they rioted, resulting in a news story. In other words, bohemian life isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:32pm

Fiction Writer: Yes, but it takes place in Paris.

[jess20882]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:52pm

yes it was written in italian and yes it takes place in france. la vie boheme is french for 'the bohemian life' - viva is italian but is also used by french people.