is called a "trottinette" (the verb "trotter" from which it is derived implies their is no motor, you only use your foot, or in other words you "trot").
Funny to see how etymology and the history of technology are intertwinned. As to why we french "decided" to use two separate words instead of only one can be explained by the most saliebt semiotic trait they differ from each other, namely /motorized/ vs /non-motorized/: this trait is the most pertinent when it comes to distinguishing between social practises, i.e. /for children/ vs /for adults/, /indoor/ vs /outdoor/, etc ...
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Interestingly in France "scooter" refers to this:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Sc...
And this
http://pics.hifi-tower.co.uk/L/1321_nmain_01.jpg
is called a "trottinette" (the verb "trotter" from which it is derived implies their is no motor, you only use your foot, or in other words you "trot").
Funny to see how etymology and the history of technology are intertwinned. As to why we french "decided" to use two separate words instead of only one can be explained by the most saliebt semiotic trait they differ from each other, namely /motorized/ vs /non-motorized/: this trait is the most pertinent when it comes to distinguishing between social practises, i.e. /for children/ vs /for adults/, /indoor/ vs /outdoor/, etc ...