Topic: How to use the word Parkour

[David Jones]

....But would it sound better to say "I'm going to practice Parkour." rather than "I'm going to do Parkour."

I ALWAYS say practice.

[Dyer13]

I know I'm new and all, but I don't see what is so bad about "parkouring." One example I could come up with that uses a word in this sense is that of "kiting" for people who are flying a kite. "Kite" is a noun. This seems like a matter of definition. Not in the sense that parkour is an artform and a borrowed noun...but I mean defined by people. As far as words go, if everyone agrees on what to call something, then that's what it is. If everyone calls those purple and green fruits that wine is made out of "grapes," then they are "grapes." If everyone agrees to use a particular verb form of parkour, then that's how it will be known. It doesn't seem right to me that language is constant and doesn't change, evolve,  or add new things over time. I can't argue with the linguistics major though.

Just my thoughts.
Thanks.

[Dan Elric]

I know I'm new and all, but I don't see what is so bad about "parkouring." One example I could come up with that uses a word in this sense is that of "kiting" for people who are flying a kite. "Kite" is a noun. This seems like a matter of definition. Not in the sense that parkour is an artform and a borrowed noun...but I mean defined by people. As far as words go, if everyone agrees on what to call something, then that's what it is. If everyone calls those purple and green fruits that wine is made out of "grapes," then they are "grapes." If everyone agrees to use a particular verb form of parkour, then that's how it will be known. It doesn't seem right to me that language is constant and doesn't change, evolve,  or add new things over time. I can't argue with the linguistics major though.

Just my thoughts.
Thanks.

Parkour is a noun, and has no verb form, that much you understand.  The part of speech you're speaking about is called a gerund.  It is a verb masquerading as a noun.  But a noun, in any way, shape, or form, may be used as a verb.  You see, the word kite has a verb form these are kiting, kited, and kites.  By saying you're partaking in kiting is correctly using the word.  But you did not take a noun and turn it into a verb, it was already a verb in the first place.
If parkour was a verb like you suggest it should be, then parkouring would be the gerund form:
I like to parkour.
Parkouring is my favorite thing to do.

However you cannot change a noun into a verb.  It just isn't possible.

[Derik (QuikSilva) DaSilva]

However you cannot change a noun into a verb.  It just isn't possible.

Well, you can. It just doesn't make logical sense.

[David Jones]

"Let's go practice Parkour." FTW!!

[jorgeDominik]

*drags the thread up from the grave*

Live! Liiiiive!

*lightning bolts*

Okay, now that that drama is out of the way, I'm going to unveil my utter geekdom here, and share the reasons you can't use parkour as a verb.

As stated, parkour is a noun. However, English turns nouns into verbs all the time. The process is called zero-conversion, zero-derivation (in the case of English), or verbification: when a language changes a word from one part of speech into a verb. For example, in English, "weird" is an adjective, but people often use it as a phrasal verb: "That guy totally weirded me out." Or email: "Send me an e-mail" vs. "E-mail me."

All languages engage in zero-conversion to a degree; English is particularly fond of verbification.

Given this, and English's propensity towards zero-conversion to verbs, why can't "parkour" be used as a verb?

Because le parkour is a French noun that has been borrowed from French. French does not zero-convert to verbs as readily as English does (although this is not always the case: verbs like "googliser"=to [look up on] Google, and the like crop up in French often enough. Worth noting is that "Google" itself is a borrowing into French, however it is a weak example as it is a proper noun for a product name, like Coca-Cola or Xerox, and is therefore generally unchanged language to language. Parkour is not a proper noun/brand name.)

All languages borrow from other languages as the need arises. "Need" is generally characterized by the introduction of a cultural element from one speech community to another, for which the receiving speech community has no equivalent. For instance, answer this question: What is the English translation for "burrito"?

In the case of parkour, no equivalent for parkour existed in English speech communities, so the name was imported along with the art form. This bond was further solidified by the application of "freerunning" as a possible English translation, and freerunning's subsequent philosophical/applicational split from parkour proper. The split necessitated a linguistic distinction between the two disciplines, handily already present via the inital borrowing of "parkour" into English.

That "parkour" is a borrowed noun is significant, because English typically doesn't zero-convert/verbify borrowed words. Support for this notion has already been given in previous posts with the examples "ballet" (also French), and "karate" (Japanese).

In French, the expression would be "faire du parkour"=to do parkour. French applies the verb "faire" (to do) to many, many physical activities. It's simply a characteristic of the language:

faire du bateau=to go boating
faire de la planche a voile=to windsurf
faire du roller en ligne=to rollerblade
faire du ski=to ski (although skier is also used as a single verb)
faire du cheval/de l'equitation=to go horseback riding/to ride horses

...etc.

So since "parkour" is a noun, verbified in French by means of a "faire construction" ("to do" construction), borrowed into English, which typically resists zero-converting borrowed words, we have no other choice but to say "to do/practice parkour" in English.

It is conceivable that in the future, English will zero-convert parkour into a verb; but in general that will depend much on whether it gains wide acceptance among English speech communities (to me, personally, it just sounds wrong, but that may be because I also speak French).

It is unlikely that French will verbify "parkour" for two reasons: one, because it is already in wide use with a faire construction, and two, because the noun "parkour" itself derived from the French verb "parcourir,"=to run across or through. So the verb "parkourir" is already taken (phonetically); "parkourer" might take root, but it's unlikely. The root verb is "courir"=to run; part of a specific verb class (-IR verbs like dormir), and although most verbification in French classifies verbs in the -ER verb class (the most common verb class), it is highly irregular/unlikely for a verb to "jump classes" like that.

So there you also have an actual linguistic explanation, and you probably also think I'm a huge nerd... which I am.

B.A., Linguistics, University of Wisconsin, 1998

*bows*

word.
-given that parCourir means to travel/skim through; it wouldn't surprise me if parKourir were to take root, if it hasn't already
the difference would be how it's applied in speech..

[WowItsJustRob]

I know this might be wrong but;

What I always did, still do, is use the word 'parkour' as the noun, naming the sport.
'Traceur' for the title of the person partaking in the sport.
Then for the verb, if someone asked me something like "Hey what are/were you doing?" I'd usually say "Outside free-running" since it makes a bit more sense to me that way.

idk ¯\๏̯͡๏/¯

[Jeremy Osborn]

I know this might be wrong but;

What I always did, still do, is use the word 'parkour' as the noun, naming the sport.
'Traceur' for the title of the person partaking in the sport.
Then for the verb, if someone asked me something like "Hey what are/were you doing?" I'd usually say "Outside free-running" since it makes a bit more sense to me that way.

idk ¯\๏̯͡๏/¯

not to just point you out, but since its the last post and it stuck out to me.
freerunning is different from parkour, im not sure what the philosophy is for freerunning, but from what ive heard, its a lot more tricks than maneuvers.

[WowItsJustRob]

I don't mind being corrected. Yeah, I thought it was something like that, but then again, to me the way I mentioned made sense. Thanks though!

[NolanK13]

I'm sorry if this has been asked already (I was too lazy to read all of the replys)  but how do you pronounce traceur?  I say it like tracer, as in a person who would trace a picture.  Is that correct?

[Jeremy Osborn]

I'm sorry if this has been asked already (I was too lazy to read all of the replys)  but how do you pronounce traceur?  I say it like tracer, as in a person who would trace a picture.  Is that correct?

im confused on this also.. i say Traceur as in TraceOR, but im not going to be the one to tell you how to say it..
(help me out Muse!!)

[jorgeDominik]

I'm sorry if this has been asked already (I was too lazy to read all of the replys)  but how do you pronounce traceur?  I say it like tracer, as in a person who would trace a picture.  Is that correct?

im confused on this also.. i say Traceur as in TraceOR, but im not going to be the one to tell you how to say it..
(help me out Muse!!)

the a is pronounced like the a in car and the eur would be pronounced like the beginning of EURope which isnt pronounce eOrope 

so its TrcAr•cEURope

hope it helps lol

[Kingshu aka K9]

Just a suggestion:

The traceur went tracing yesterday

What do you wanna do today- Conditioning, drills or go for a Trace (continuous run through the city/forest).

P.S. Gabriel Arnold (writer of RISE in apk's "The Freerunner") calls traceurs ar "Tracers" (without the U) and the runs as "Traces"

[Casey Boatwright]

Just a suggestion:

The traceur went tracing yesterday

What do you wanna do today- Conditioning, drills or go for a Trace (continuous run through the city/forest).

P.S. Gabriel Arnold (writer of RISE in apk's "The Freerunner") calls traceurs ar "Tracers" (without the U) and the runs as "Traces"

tracing is not the term to use and it is wrong,    its lets go do parkour, or hey let's go for a run, or parkour run,  never ever ever trace.  its bad and wrong,  much love though and welcome to the community     ask around and explore have fun and enjoy the forums   

[JoryVigs]

thank you for starting this thread so ppl can finally get it right. lol

[Anikay]

The verb for Parkour is tracing, though not TRULY derived from Parkour it is derived from traceur traceurs trace.

[TrojanPKR1]

Tracing could make sense if you go back to its French roots. A singer(chanteur) sings(chanter) so why wouldn't a traceur trace?

Also the verb parcourir (from which parkour originates) also means "to traverse". Isn't that what we do when we "practice parkour"? Traverse obstacles?

[Tucker13]

this probably doesnt cover the main topic but for ppl who arnt versed in the terms of parkour and free running i find myself saying parkour practitioners or as it would be defined a person who practices parkour i find it very useful when confronted by security and police when i was out training

[Jeremy Osborn]

The verb for Parkour is tracing, though not TRULY derived from Parkour it is derived from traceur traceurs trace.

Uhh, sorry, but it isn't. Sorry for sounding harsh.. It has been said before, there is no verb for Parkour. "Practicing Parkour" is the correct usage.

[Jace Carpenter]

so dont know if this makes sense to anyone eles but if someone who practices parkour is a traceur then would not some one who doing parkour be tracing. you guys say this is wrong but why do you say this is wrong is it because it does not have the word parkour in it if so that is retarded. the only way to get a verb for parkour is to make one and until it happens no one has the right to say your wrong be cause it dose not exist yet.