|
| Speaking
French |
|
 |
A view
of the French Academy, seen from the Seine, from the book "Paris
: the Seine", by Sylvie Genevoix, photos by François
Biblal, Prolibris, 1993 |
The French and their
language
- The
French love their language ! It may sound obvious - but French is
the language taught in French schools!!! (this weird question
was asked more than once to webmaster's wife Harriet Welty Rochefort
in her conferences on French Toast and French Fried!). Correct
spelling is highly emphasized and one of the most popular shows
on national TV is "la dictée de Bernard
Pivot" (dictations with abominably complicated words)
with selections, semi-finals, etc... and a national final which
is one of the most popular shows of the year (300,000 entrants,
7 million people watching). Pivot gave his last one (after 20
years) in November 2005 and the whole country is in despair.
- Language in France is seen as
the key element of French identity and an integral part
of French culture. In 1994 the Culture Ministry waged a campaign
to ban "franglais", the use of English words when there
is a French equivalent. This law (Loi
Toubon,Aug.4, 1994) was criticized and sometimes ridiculed
in the Anglo-Saxon press but when you read it, you see that many
of its provisions are pure common sense to put an end to the
use of English in cases where the American society would not
tolerate the same situation (for instance how about a labor contract
in Chinese for the American branch of a Chinese company ?). See
more about it.
- Within the European Community,
English is the language which is studied the most (89%) with
French coming in second (32%). In France 85% of high school students
choose to study English. More about languages
in Europe...
- Most people now choose a language
because of economic, not cultural reasons. English is seen as
being the most beneficial language to learn.
- On the Web, English is first,
followed by German and Japanese. French is fourth, followed by
Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
|
- The Google project of
digitizing millions of books (in English) is considered in Europe
a threat to cultural
diversity and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
advocated for an additional European project.
- French
is spoken everywhere in France, but a few regional langages
are largely spoken : among them Alsatian (650,000 speak it daily
with their parents, according to a recent study : Enquête
Famille INSEE, 1999), Occitan (600,000), various langues
d'oïl : Picard, Normand, Lorrain, Vendéen (550,000),
Breton and Gallo (280,000), Corsican (80,000), Basque (50,000),
Auvergnat, Limousin, Gascon and Catalan (80,000) which successfully
survived the domination of the French language. Some of them
are taught in high school and can be taken in official exams
: mainly Occitan, Corsican, Breton, Alsatian, Basque.
- Young people, particularly in
the suburbs surrounding large cities, speak slang French (called
: "verlan") which is very difficult to understand.
- Although the study of foreign
languages is required in school, almost one out of two Frenchmen
does not speak a foreign language.
- France
maintains a close relationship with countries where French is
the (or an) official language : it is called "la Francophonie"
and concerns 52 countries worldwide : Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg,
Canada, North-African countries, many Western and Central African
countries, Lebanon, etc.... (Spain has the same policy with "la
Hispanidad" and Britain somehow with the "Commonwealth").
The largest Frenc-speaking countries are : France 63 million,
Congo 24, Algeria 16, Ivory Coast 13, Canada 12 and Morocco 10.
- An interesting book by two Canadian
authors (The Story of the French, by Benoit Nadeau &
Julie Barlow, St.Martin's Press, 2006) explains why their language
is so important to the French and why it will resist the rising
influence of English.
- More to come
|
| DID YOU KNOW THAT the
French call French mixed with English words "Franglais".
The best book about it was written by French academic Etiemble
("Parlez vous franglais"), a very funny and very wise
book. " Globish " (for global English) is the 1500-word
language which is spoken everywhere, and increasingly by the
French. |
They are not French...
|
French is of course the biggest
French-speaking country, but it is not the only one. Many artist
are widely considered French when the are not : they are Canadian,
Belgian, Swiss, etc...
Among them :
|
- Singers : Jacques Brel (Belgian),
Céline Dion or Robert Charlebois (see singers from Québec), etc...
- Writers : Henri Michaux (Belgian),
etc...
- Painters : James Ensor, René
Magritte or Paul Delvaux (Belgians) etc..
- Movie directors : Jean-Luc Godard
(Swiss), etc..
- and many others...
|
French words with a highly symbolic meaning...
|
In French, like in any language,
many commonly used words reflect the value system of the society,
more than their literal meaning. To better understand, clik on
the word for a more detailed explanation :
|
|
|
|
| USEFUL
TIPS : Frequently used acronyms : AOC (Appelation d'Origine
Contrôlée = certified wine or food), ASSEDIC (unemployment
insurance scheme), CDI or CDD (Contrat à Durée
Indéterminée/Déterminée = unlimited
time/limited time job contract), CRS (Compagnie Républicaine
de Sécurité = riot police), DOM-TOM (Département/Territoire
d'Outre-mer = French overseas regions), EDF (French electricity
company), ENA (Ecole Nationale d'Administration
= school for public administration), HLM (Habitation à
Loyer Modéré = public housing), HS (Hors Service=Out
of Order, IVG (Interruption Volontaire
de grossesse = legal abortion), ISF (impot sur la fortune = tax on wealth),
PJ (police judiciaire = state police), RATP (Paris public transport
system), RIB (relevé d'identité bancaire = bank
account number document), RMI (Revenu Minimum d'Insertion, the
minimum allocation of around 400 Euros/month for anybody who
does not qualify for anything else), RTT (Réduction du
Temps de Travail = days off resulting from the legal constraint
of the 35-hour week), SDF (Sans Domicile Fixe = homeless), SMIC
(Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance = minimum salary),
SECU (Social Security), SVP (s'il vous plait = please), TGV (Train
à Grande Vitesse = high-speed train), TVA (value added
tax), etc... For political parties : UMP (gaullist, center right),
PS (socialist, center left), UDF (christian democrat), PC (communist),
FN & MPF (extreme right), LO & LCR (trotskyist), etc... |
Glossary
| Below
is a list of terms or phrases you won't find in an ordinary French
- English dictionary, nuances obligent! Even if you've
learned perfect grammatical French in school, you still may not
know the REAL meanings of these phrases which are used in everyday
life in France. However, do not take it too seriously !
This is just to give you an idea of the French humor : second
degree and exageration ! Here goes! |
Some of these expressions
come from a hilarious book, The Parisians, by French journalist
Alain Schifres published by J.C. Lattes, 1990, Paris and from
Sky my Husband-Ciel mon mari by Jean-Loup Chiflet (John-Wolf
Whistle), Hermé 1985, Paris (Guide de l'Anglais courant-Guide
of the Running English!). |
| when they say ... |
its literal meaning is... |
but in fact it means... |
| "il
n'est pas grand" |
he is not
big |
he is small
and cute (for a baby) |
| "cher
ami" |
dear friend |
drop dead,
pal |
| "à
très bientôt" |
see you
very soon |
I hope I'll
never see you again |
| "ce
n'est pas mal" |
it's not
bad |
it's wonderful |
| "elle
n'est pas épaisse" |
she's not
thick |
she's skinny
as a rail |
| "il
est brave" |
he is courageous |
he is totally
stupid |
| "au
plaisir" |
I'll be
happy to see you again |
next time,
I'll cross the street |
| "il
est gentil" |
he's nice |
he's not
very smart |
| "je
l'ai lu, il y a des choses" |
I read it,
there are some interesting things in it |
I read it,
it's really bad |
| "Non" |
no |
try to convince me or
: tell me something less boring |
| "ça baigne
dans l'huile" |
it is bathing in the
oil |
everything is going
smoothly |
| "ça ne
mange pas de pain" |
it doesn't eat bread |
it is not important |
| When
a shopkeeper says : "non" (according to Polly
Platt) |
no |
persuade me |
| "ça
n'existe pas" (same source) |
it doesn't exist |
it's down in the
storeroom |
| "impossible"
(same source) |
impossible |
I'm tired or I'm busy
or the way you put your request doesn't intrigue me enough to
bother with it |
| "PFFFFTTTTT" |
with a shrugging of
shoulders, raising of elbows and a scowl |
I don't know |
or :
| "c'est
un bordel" |
it's a whorehouse |
it's a mess |
| "flanquer
un pain" |
hit him
with bread |
punch him
out |
| "c'est
un blaireau" |
he is a
badger |
he is a
stupid idiot |
| "j'ai
mal au coeur" |
I have a
pain in my heart |
I am going
to puke |
On the other hand, do NOT
translate these American expressions literally :
| when
you (American) say... |
a
literal translation of ... |
the
French understand... |
| "je suis
plein" (or : "je suis pleine") |
I am full |
- I am drunk (if you are a man)
- I am pregnant (if you are a woman)
|
| "je suis
excité" (or : je suis excitée") |
I am excited |
I am horny |
| "laissez moi
vous introduire" |
let me introduce you |
let me sodomize you |
|
USEFUL
TIPS ....There are always exceptions but many French people do
not like to be blunt and say things outright in order to leave
an escape route open to the other person. In this respect, they're
almost Japanese. When in France, it's important to understand
what ISN'T being said (le non-dit).... This why, very
often, the French will be considered imprecise by Americans when
they sincerely think that they have been very clear.
DID YOU KNOW
THAT .....? The longest word in French is the adverb "anticonstitutionnellement"
(against the Constitution). Since 1905, every year in fall, before
school starts, the new edition of the most popular dictionary,
the Petit Larousse Illustré is largely discussed in the
medias. Sociologists and linguists comment the newly admitted
and newly eliminated words.
|
Strange French expressions (if translated literally...)
| when they say ... |
its literal meaning is... |
but in fact it means... |
| On n'a
pas gardé les cochons ensemble |
we
never kept the pigs together |
don't
be too familiar with me |
| Est-ce
que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo |
did
I ask you if you granma rides a bike |
don't
be indiscreet |
| Il m'a tiré
les vers du nez |
he pulled
the worms out of my nose |
he led me
to speak |
| Le jour où
les cons voleront, tu seras chef d'escadrille |
if one day
assholes can fly, you'll be squadron leader |
you are really
stupid |
| J'ai pris
mon pied |
I took my
foot |
I had a great
time |
| Entre chien
et loup |
between dog
and wolf |
at dusk |
| DID
YOU KNOWTHAT.....? Some "faux amis" in politics
: in French, a "liberal" is a right-wing supporter
of market (as opposed to a "dirigiste" who supports
state-owned companies), a "radical" or a "radical-socialiste"
belongs to a center-right party (which was a left-wing party
a century ago!).... |
In France, animals speak
French...
|
In France, animals do not
speak English and may be hard to understand :
- Cats do miaou (mee-aow)
- Dogs bark with Ouah Ouah
(always twice)
- Donkeys say Hi Han (Hee
Hangh)
- Roosters say Cocorico
, chicken cot cot , ducks coin-coin and birds Cui
Cui (quee quee, a sound which has nothing to do with the
English "chirp")
- Cows go Meuh
- Sheeps say bèèèè
(bayhhhhhh)
- More to come
|
If
you want to express your feelings phonetically, it may also be
different :
- In French, yum-yum is
miam-miam
- Ouch is aïe (like eye)
- Yuk is pouah or beurk
- More to come
|
| DID
YOU KNOW that the French Academy was founded by Richelieu
in 1635 as the protector of the French language? It's still going
strong - even though French has definitely been supplanted by
English as the universal language. It is one of the five "academies"
which constitute the Institut de France (with Académie
des Sciences, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Académie
des Sciences Morales et Politiques, Académie des Inscriptions
et Belles Lettres). The Académie Française has forty members, known
as "les Immortels". They meet every Thursday morning
to give the "correct definition" of words and review
the Dictionnary of the Académie, which is published every
50 or 60 years ! They are currently working on the letter "p"... |
Learning French
|
A
few useful links :
- Alliance Française
has a very comprehensive
site in English, with many useful tips on life in Paris ;
Alliance Française, 101 blvd Raspail 75006 Paris, tel.
01 45 44 38 28 , or 2819 Ordway Street NW Washington DC 20008
tel 202-966 9740 www.afusa.org (read a funny piece about it in
Barrie Kerper's book)
- Join a conversation group
:
- Adrian Leeds and ParlerParlor
is highly recommended
- Learn French guide,
all about how to learn and how to speak French
- For women : Bagatelle-Amitié
01 46 37 44 92
- For groups of students, contact
FIAP
|
- Learn French at home
:
- an excellent site to learn French
online using skype
- Learn French at Home (teaching FLE)
- Forget CNN or BBC, Watch
TV and try to read a French newspaper : you'll improve your
French and understand better the French if you don't look at
them through other people's eyes
- Listen to French songs, after
copying the lyrics
- And more :
- More to come....
|
|
DID
YOU KNOW THAT....? Between French and English , one word,
two meanings : built on the same word (to do = faire), a
" doer " is positive in English (somebody who gets
things done) and un " faiseur " is negative in French
(somebody who shows off)
Help us complete this page and
see Harriet Welty Rochefort's chapter on Politesse in French Toast for more examples
of the unwritten codes and nuances of the French language. Do
you know what "mot de
Cambronne" means ? Have you made any major booboos in
French? Read
our page on intercultural differences
|
|
To table
of contents
Back to home
page
|
Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books :
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming
events, testimonials, etc..)
|
site still under
construction |
| To
email
us |
If you like this site, please bookmark it or create
a link! |
To top
of the page |
|