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Wednesday, August 4, 2010 • Paris, France
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Dear Parler Paris Reader,
When I open my mouth in French, often the first-time listener to my strong American accent smiles slightly. This happens almost every time I'm stopped on the street for directions. When I can so perfectly tell them how to get where they want to go in a decent level of French, yet so obviously not "une française," it surprises them to the point of almost chuckling.
Waiters often mock my accent, playfully making fun of it. This at least provides a chance to flirt a bit and improve the service I might get -- and as they often remark, "Mais madame, vôtre accent est très charmante" ("But madam, your accent is charming").
It's good thing it is, because there's not much I can do about it at this ripe old age of having learned a foreign accent -- one as difficult as French.
A friend recently sent me a link to a Web site about how to learn languages on ones own I found interesting. It notes that French is high in popularity (ranking 4 out of 5) and as "difficult" (ranking 3 out of 5). Barry Farber, the talk show host, once said, "No matter your other language achievement, you will be judged by your French." No joke on all counts!
The site says French is "one of the most chic languages you can learn." I never thought of it that way -- but yes, this is true. Speaking French will immediately raise your class level -- that is if you speak correctly. Just think how "bad French" will immediately lower your class level, having the opposite affect. How often have you seen French names of businesses or menus written in incorrect French that you think how stupid could they possibly be? Do they not know or not care or both?
It used to be that traveling in France without a certain level of French was very difficult, but that's changed, particularly in Paris where young Parisians are taught English now from a very early age. So, you need it a bit less, but there's no question that speaking it will change the experience you will have while visiting France, and of course, while living and working here.
The site suggests learning a Parisian accent rather than those which are more pronounced, such as Québecois, Marseillais or Belge. But hey, I'm just trying to get past the American accent! There is no chance my accent will ever be confused with someone from another part of France! While the French are trying to say our "th" and end up spitting all over their listeners, we're trying to gargle the French "r" and end up sounding like we're choking. My favorite word for that is "serrurerie" (locksmith). If you can say this word correctly without choking or spitting or both, you can speak French!
French grammar is near to impossible to learn. Even the French are still struggling with it. Ask any Frenchmen to clarify something grammatical and inevitably there will be a heated discussion over which form is correct. The "subjonctif" has my head spinning, so I've learned over the years how to avoid it by changing the phrase. For example, you will never hear me say, "Il faut que..." Instead, you'll hear "J'ai besoin de..." or "Je dois..." It works for now, but perhaps not forever. Ugh.
Vocabulary is easy! French is of Latin origin and therefore shares many words in English, also of Latin origin. Tip: almost all the words that end in "tion" have the same meaning in French (about 2500)! So imagine. Words such as "organization," "celebration," "recommendation," etc. are the same. Cool, huh? You just learned a lot of French words without even trying!
The tricky part is learning the different gender of nouns. At least in French, there are only two genders. In German there are three to confuse you even further. There is no rhyme or reason to the gender of a noun in French. Some words that should be feminine are masculine and vice-versa. For example: the word for the female sex organ is "le vagin" -- masculine! And the male sex organ is "la verge" -- feminine! Go figure. Nonetheless, it's tricky business. Besides just memorizing them, there are a few tricks that have to do with the endings of the words, but then again, there are so many exceptions that you're sure to stumble anyway.
French spelling is a whole other subject. This is the language of vowels. What other language can combine so many vowels and end up with one sound? Think of the word "oiseau" (bird) -- which uses all five vowels and has only two sounds: "wa-zo."
The Web site says that "If you study an hour every day there is no reason why you should not be able to read a newspaper with a dictionary after a 12 months of study. Speaking and writing simple texts without errors should be reachable after 18 to 24 months."
I think this may be possible if you're young, have a brain like a sponge and of course, very diligent about learning the language. Normal old folks like me may never get that far, but hey, at least we're having fun while trying!
A few notes about learning French:
The Web site to which this refers is:
how-to-learn-any-language.com/
Don't wait till you get to France. Start learning in your home country. Seek out your local Alliance Française, or ask the French Consulate of French-American Chamber of Commerce to recommend schools or teachers.
Subscribe to French Word-a-Day: french-word-a-day.typepad.com/
Kristin Espinasse's Web site, blog and regular emails will keep you learning French a bit at a time and hungering for more.
Immerse yourself in French. Learn French at the Institut de Français in the beautiful Riviera village of Villefranche-sur-Mer. It really works! For more information, visit institutdefrancais.com/ or contact Fréderic Latty at info@institutdefrancais.com and be sure to tell him Adrian sent you.
Practice speaking French by attending a French-English Conversation Group. If you're in Paris, then Parler Parlor is a perfect way to make friends, discuss interesting topics, learn about other cultures and progress in understanding and speaking, naturally and easily. Visit parlerparlor.com/ for more information.
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
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P.S. Parler Parlor will celebrate "La Rentrée" this coming September 4th with a FREE lunch of sandwiches and sweets to all who attend, plus memberships will be on special sale that day! Meanwhile, it's open all summer long, so you don't need to miss out until "La Rentrée." For more information, visit parlerparlor.com
