Tag: language

What a bliss it is to be French

To be honest, I find it a bit frustrating to talk to the French. I try my best, and I am not shy despite a very strong accent. Yet, whenever people hear me, they try to be accommodating and switch to English. I noticed this the most around young people. They are most likely to know English, and they are normally the most interested in speaking it. While I appreciate the kind gesture, I wish they would stop. After all, I want to practice, especially in situations that are unpredictable.

The dislike for English language is nothing but a stereotype in France. People do like to speak English; it’s just a lot of them (and this is great for me, actually) don’t know any foreign language. The lack of other language skills among the locals is perfect for those who want to be in situations where it’s French or nothing.

A beautiful green creature in a park in Nantes, which I visited for a short trip (Northwestern France).

French people talk extremely fast. They use slang a lot, too, and they “eat” some words sometimes, so it is tricky to understand them. News, podcasts, and official announcements are much easier than the spoken language that I hear on the streets because locals don’t care that much about grammar, perfect pacing, and other standards. I feel like if I can master a long conversation with a perfect stranger on a variety of topics ranging from Macron to Ukraine, then it is when I can say that I made it in my language learning.

A thing that’s a little bit unique to me is the fact that I am Ukrainian. Therefore, a lot of French people ask me about Ukraine, how things are back home, and so on. It is quite kind and logical given the Russian war; therefore, I get to educate and explain a lot of things about Ukraine while practicing my French. I found this to be rewarding and challenging at the same time, and I am happy to see that my French is getting to the level where I can actually express whatever it is that I want to convey on this difficult and important topic. I learned such words as imperialism, colonialism, European responsibility, values, and so on. Great!

Overall, I like the French. Interactions are interesting. People are straightforward and have a good sense of humor (for the most part!). They are content with their lives, and this is contagious.

Language: Le Français Familier:

Adjusting to life in a foreign country

My morning commute starts with walking 15 seconds to the bus stop, where I have a direct view of Mont Saint Victoire (far left). In the foreground is an Optical Art museum, which I hope to visit at some point.

Having been in France for a week, I feel much more adjusted to living in a foreign country and immediately more comfortable with the region. Thinking and communicating in a different language has profoundly changed the way that I think about my own language and my own thoughts. Of course, there is always the question of the degree to which language frames thought, but I have been interested in the question of how we frame language, i.e. the particular aspects of language that change depending on the region and the speaker.

I saw this poster at store in Marseille. Among its itemized vulgarities and regional expressions, I noticed examples of verlan and even some words that I learned in my classes here.

Un petit dictionnaire

I have already grown attached to certain expressions used among young people, and I use the following almost daily:

du coup: an elusively versatile filler word. In my interactions, I understand it to function like “you know”, “like”, or “so”. I like to pepper my conversations with it in order to appear more natural.

c’est stylé: “stylé” is like an upgraded “cool”, but it carries a stronger connotation of sophistication or beauty

un beau gosse: an attractive young man. I aim to receive this compliment when I put on a good outfit.

une meuf: an example of verlan, the practice of reversing the syllables of words to give them a more colloquial meaning. In this case, “femme” is reversed to be “mme-fe” or “meuf”.

l’apero: a friendly gathering before going out

wesh: an interrogative adverb derived from Algerian Arabic. It most closely corresponds to “yo” in American English and is used more frequently over text.

au taff: “at work”

I anticipate learning more slang words and expressions as I interact more with people here, but I have been surprised at how easy it is to pick up these expressions without ever seeing them in writing. So far, the method of acquiring more French by brute-forcing my conversations, as gauche as it feels, has proven to be exceptionally valuable for expanding my vocabulary and increasing the fluidity with which I speak French.

Getting ready for France: Thinking of languages

Language is fascinating. It has always excited and interested me. It is not only about different sounds and melodies we make with our words, but also about the way we think and see the world.

When I, as an adult, started learning foreign languages, I realized how many things different native speakers have in common. For example, there are phrases which are very difficult to translate from one language to another. However, sometimes languages which lave little in common share the same phrases and follow the same logic. I experienced this as I was mastering Spanish a few years ago, and I am seeing this now as I am working on my French.

My experience is limited to the languages which originated in Europe. My mother tongue is Ukrainian, and I speak English, Spanish, and, somewhat flawed, French. The languages I speak are quite close geographically, but they are not that similar. They show me how diverse my home region is, and how diverse the world is as humanity managed to produce such different and rich ways of communication.

When I started learning French, I could not help but notice that even though it was a Romance language with a heavy connection to Latin, it still made a lot of sense to me as someone with a Slavic language background. But then, very often, it didn’t make any sense. I understood why the French had different “you-s” when speaking to different people, but I couldn’t understand the logic behind many of their tenses. So, language learning was always a culture learning for me; it made me see how studying foreign words helps you understand the reasoning behind them and fill the gaps that were missing.

France as I remember it. Central Paris. Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash

I have been to France many times before, but I have always used English to communicate with people. This time, I hope to use my French despite the many mistakes I am certain I will make. The good thing about me as a language learner is that I am never shy to speak the language however wrong I may sound.

I hope to be corrected by the French, and I hope to be able to pick up some of the sounds and phrases from them as well as get insights into their culture, local life, and society not as a mere foreigner, but as someone who is genuinely curious and invested in digging deeper. My previous experience in France – and the fact that I am from Europe – gives me confidence and comfort about my time there. But I am ready to shatter a lot of stereotypes that I may unconsciously have, and I hope to pick up some street conversations and other things that can only be appreciated when interacting with people in the comfort of their native land and language.

I want to take my time in France to learn the language not only via school, but also through going to community events, movie theaters, social gatherings, and other experiences which make you feel like you belong – to the language, and to the culture, too. I am already watching French movies and listening to French podcasts, and they give me a lot of insights into France as its own universe. The movies and podcasts are made for the French, so sometimes, I don’t only lack the vocabulary to understand the words, but also the cultural context. My goal with this summer experience is to see whether I can fill in some of the missing gaps, and whether my cultural knowledge will improve as much as my vocabulary – or even more.

I hope this will be a fun yet challenging experience because I know that languages are not easy. They require our time, love, and care so we can fully appreciate the power of communication that they give us – and the power to open new universes.