-

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-09-20 11:04:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

selon Termium

French term (edited): WC � la turque

Afetr some research, I found these notes:
Istudied abroad in Israel a few years ago, and in a few places there were squat toilets that everyone refered to as "Turkish Toilettes". Are these similar (if anyone knows) or even the same as the Japanese version?
Oh, they call them Turkish toilets, that's interesting. In Central Europe we call them Italian toilets, as they were/are widely used in Southern Europe. I couldn't find any difference between Italian/Japanese/Arabic squat toilets, to us "Westerners" they're all equally uncomfortable.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 mins (2004-09-20 11:11:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

www.jref.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-880.html
www.cromwell-intl.com/toilet/
www.poopreport.com/Techniques/ Content/Nature/squatty.html
www.davethefox.com/words/0203toilets.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 32 mins (2004-09-20 13:34:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

From Sarah\'s comment, I realise that my notes above are not very clear. From \"I studied ..... to ... uncomfortable\" should be in inverted commas.
I have come across \'squat\' or \'Turkish\' toilets from France through to Japan, passing by Afganistan, India and Egypt. Often they are called \'s... holes\'. They can be very practical when clean, as in Japan, and extremely off-putting in extreme conditions.
The other website addresses cited provide both terms. A matter of choice.

French term (edited): WC � la turque

The British Standards Institute defines in its glossary "squatting WC pan" and "squatting plate" (foot plates).

The McGHill Dict. of Architecture and Construction has "squatting closet", of which it says "Same as 'Asiatic water closet'", itself defined as "A water closet which has its bowl nearly flush with the floor so that the user adopts a squatting position; widely used in some parts of Asia".

Scott's The Penguin Dict. of Building has "squatting closet, asiatic closet, squat pan".

None of my technical sources refer to a "Turkish toilet". Though that IS a term I have heard, I cannot guarantee from personal experience that it is not a deformation under French influence.

Out of interest, just as we have different types of WC (floor mounted, wall-suspended, horizontal rear exit, vertical rear exit, pan with outlet towards the back, pan with outlet towards the front (what I call "German toilets"), etc., so too do squatting pans differ.

The squatting pan most commonly found in France is a one-piece rectangular pan of vitreous china with a small hole towards the rear and two foot plates rising above the pan bottom. The terms BSI defines (above) refer more to the type of squatting pan I have encountered in Singapore and the Arab world: the vitreous china pan is long, deep, and narrow, enabling natural functions to be performed in a squatting position both forwards and backwards, as it were, without risk of splashing or, indeed, missing, these latter elements being major faults in the French "à la turque" toilet. What is more, the deep narrow type involves little risk of flooding your shoes or the walls upon pulling the chain (a common fault with the "French" variety - I cannot speak for Turkey), since the bottom of the pan is well contained and 6 to 8 inches beneath floor level. The only danger with this type is that you could break a leg were you to step into it accidentally - hence adequate warnings on doors (in airports, at least). As the BSI term implies, the pan itself is set into the floor between two separate foot plates, also vitreous china. Since the depth of the appliance is greater, it requires deeper above-ground floors or deeper plumbing, entailing greater cost.