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Worth a read about why to learn French
Posted: Mon 10 Feb 2014 06:30
by Nigel
Posted: Mon 17 Feb 2014 04:52
by martyn94
It struck me as protesting altogether too much. The very fact that France has to sponsor an official structure for worldwide "francophonie" (with a pretty disparate bunch of members and observers - neither Lithuania nor Thailand, for example, have struck me as hotbeds of French) shows that they know it is on the skids.
Which is no excuse at all, of course, for not bothering if you live or spend much time here.
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 14:05
by monty
martyn94 wrote:It struck me as protesting altogether too much. The very fact that France has to sponsor an official structure for worldwide "francophonie" (with a pretty disparate bunch of members and observers - neither Lithuania nor Thailand, for example, have struck me as hotbeds of French) shows that they know it is on the skids.
Which is no excuse at all, of course, for not bothering if you live or spend much time here.
Sure, the knowladge of the french language is on his return. Hopefully people will continue to be interested though in this great culture. It would be an enormous loss if 'la langue de Molière' would disapear little by little from the international platform and all this beautiful literature forgotten.
Re: Worth a read about why to learn French
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 14:08
by monty
Interesting. Shows aswell the enormous contribution of the French culture to the world.
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 14:55
by Sus
The sound of spoken French alone is for me reason enough to learn it!
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 15:40
by martyn94
The link is really quite quaint, a few years on. Happy days when the most interesting thing happening here was François going off on his scooter for trysts with Ms Gayet. In any case, who on earth, even French, wants to speak "la langue de Molière"? La langue d'Houillebecq, or of rap français, maybe. Or of course for me Charles Trenet or Tino Rossi. But I'm an old fart.
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 16:24
by monty
martyn94 wrote:The link is really quite quaint, a few years on. Happy days when the most interesting thing happening here was François going off on his scooter for trysts with Ms Gayet. In any case, who on earth, even French, wants to speak "la langue de Molière"? La langue d'Houillebecq, or of rap français, maybe. Or of course for me Charles Trenet or Tino Rossi. But I'm an old fart.
A way of saying: like they speak here from :la langue de Shakeseare.
I don't think many English speak Shakespearian? Do they?
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 18:35
by martyn94
monty wrote:martyn94 wrote:The link is really quite quaint, a few years on. Happy days when the most interesting thing happening here was François going off on his scooter for trysts with Ms Gayet. In any case, who on earth, even French, wants to speak "la langue de Molière"? La langue d'Houillebecq, or of rap français, maybe. Or of course for me Charles Trenet or Tino Rossi. But I'm an old fart.
A way of saying: like they speak here from :la langue de Shakeseare.
I don't think many English speak Shakespearian? Do they?
Except that we don't (and don't say that) we speak the language of Shakespeare (much as bits of it are embedded in our everyday speech). And this is not just a way of speaking. We don't regard English as some sort of archeological treasure. We speak twenty-first century English, in all the various versions that make it (just for now) the world's language. We don't make a fetish of dead white seventeenth-century dramatists. Even though ours are better than yours.
Which doesn't make me less keen to speak (and write, and read) French better than I do.
Posted: Mon 29 Aug 2016 19:48
by monty
martyn94 wrote:monty wrote:martyn94 wrote:The link is really quite quaint, a few years on. Happy days when the most interesting thing happening here was François going off on his scooter for trysts with Ms Gayet. In any case, who on earth, even French, wants to speak "la langue de Molière"? La langue d'Houillebecq, or of rap français, maybe. Or of course for me Charles Trenet or Tino Rossi. But I'm an old fart.
A way of saying: like they speak here from :la langue de Shakeseare.
I don't think many English speak Shakespearian? Do they?
Except that we don't (and don't say that) we speak the language of Shakespeare (much as bits of it are embedded in our everyday speech). And this is not just a way of speaking. We don't regard English as some sort of archeological treasure. We speak twenty-first century English, in all the various versions that make it (just for now) the world's language. We don't make a fetish of dead white seventeenth-century dramatists. Even though ours are better than yours.
I am not french. Just have a high opinion about this culture and so I love the language. Being a historian myself, I love also to see things in their historical perspective. Their is much imagination and intelligence in it. Nothing negative about English culture. I don't much of it and try not any comperation.
Which doesn't make me less keen to speak (and write, and read) French better than I do.
Posted: Tue 30 Aug 2016 07:55
by Gus Morris
If you think preserving the language of Moliere is a bit extreme then what do you make of those who wish to revive Occitan on the basis that it is the language of the Troubadors?
Gus
Posted: Tue 30 Aug 2016 16:12
by monty
Gus Morris wrote:If you think preserving the language of Moliere is a bit extreme then what do you make of those who wish to revive Occitan on the basis that it is the language of the Troubadors?
Gus
Is n't it interesting. In France they see a line between the troubadours and the french songs of now adays. Thongs don't fall out of the sky, just like that.
Posted: Tue 30 Aug 2016 16:35
by martyn94
monty wrote:Gus Morris wrote:If you think preserving the language of Moliere is a bit extreme then what do you make of those who wish to revive Occitan on the basis that it is the language of the Troubadors?
Gus
Is n't it interesting. In France they see a line between the troubadours and the french songs of now adays. Thongs don't fall out of the sky, just like that.
Oh yeah? Who "they"?
Posted: Tue 30 Aug 2016 16:56
by martyn94
Gus Morris wrote:If you think preserving the language of Moliere is a bit extreme then what do you make of those who wish to revive Occitan on the basis that it is the language of the Troubadors?
Gus
But it has its benefits. If I ever see an eating place called, eg, "Lou Brasseriou de Pariou", it always seems an excellent reason to pass it by.
Posted: Tue 30 Aug 2016 17:58
by monty
martyn94 wrote:monty wrote:Gus Morris wrote:If you think preserving the language of Moliere is a bit extreme then what do you make of those who wish to revive Occitan on the basis that it is the language of the Troubadors?
Gus
Is n't it interesting. In France they see a line between the troubadours and the french songs of now adays. Thongs don't fall out of the sky, just like that.
Oh yeah? Who "they"?
Le Centre national du patrimoine de la chanson
Posted: Wed 31 Aug 2016 00:22
by martyn94
monty wrote:martyn94 wrote:
Oh yeah? Who "they"?
Le Centre national du patrimoine de la chanson
Thanks. I don't know about troubadours, but it's handy for me on the metro when I'm in those parts.
Posted: Wed 31 Aug 2016 07:39
by monty
martyn94 wrote:monty wrote:martyn94 wrote:
Oh yeah? Who "they"?
Le Centre national du patrimoine de la chanson
Thanks. I don't know about troubadours, but it's handy for me on the metro when I'm in
those parts.
Posted: Wed 31 Aug 2016 18:00
by Gus Morris
I'm lost!
So I read the article used as a basis for discussion. Can't say I agree with a lot of it. My grandkids, who live in California, learn Spanish at school. Makes sense. You hear it everywhere. Especially in the southernmost states. It's one of the most widely used languages on the planet. Phone your bank and the first thing they ask is which language you want. And French is not on the menu. From time to time I mingle with students from all over Europe and beyond. The common language is invariably English.
A century ago French was the international language of diplomacy. But not any more. Not since WW1. And you don't see too many academic papers in Latin either.
If the French want their language to prosper maybe they should get rid of the Academie Francaise. Just let the language evolve organically.
A final thought. In Montreal, capital of francophone Canada, no more than a half of the occupants speak French as a first language. They may teach in French in the classroom but the kids don't speak it in the playground.
Gus
Posted: Thu 01 Sep 2016 08:50
by Sus
I think the focus is too narrow and utilitarian, there are many reasons for learning a language and the number of people speaking it or whether you will be able to use it by speaking to people are only some reasons. At one time, I started learning Russian as I love Russian literature and wanted to be able to read it in the original language. Never quite made it to the level required for Tolstoy but still increased my admiration for the culture of Russia.
Learning 3-4 languages is a good step for anyone, and there need to be institutions/structures that keep the variety of languages alive. I think there is far too much English and "Starbucks uniform" culture, I am all for chaos and diversity ...
Posted: Thu 01 Sep 2016 14:21
by monty
Gus Morris wrote:I'm lost!
So I read the article used as a basis for discussion. Can't say I agree with a lot of it. My grandkids, who live in California, learn Spanish at school. Makes sense. You hear it everywhere. Especially in the southernmost states. It's one of the most widely used languages on the planet. Phone your bank and the first thing they ask is which language you want. And French is not on the menu. From time to time I mingle with students from all over Europe and beyond. The common language is invariably English.
A century ago French was the international language of diplomacy. But not any more. Not since WW1. And you don't see too many academic papers in Latin either.
If the French want their language to prosper maybe they should get rid of the Academie Francaise. Just let the language evolve organically.
A final thought. In Montreal, capital of francophone Canada, no more than a half of the occupants speak French as a first language. They may teach in French in the classroom but the kids don't speak it in the playground.
Gus
Don't you think that the only reason why french is not any more the international language is, that France is not any more the Power it once was? If English is THE internaional language, it is only because we live under American hegemony.
That is not a reason not to love this language an the culture.
Much to say about culture politics, like the Academy, but the language changes anyhow. In the 'cité's a slang is spoken that ia hardly comprehensible for th rest. Like rap-music (hip hop) has renewed music. I am fascinated by it all
Posted: Thu 01 Sep 2016 14:30
by monty
Sus wrote:I think the focus is too narrow and utilitarian, there are many reasons for learning a language and the number of people speaking it or whether you will be able to use it by speaking to people are only some reasons. At one time, I started learning Russian as I love Russian literature and wanted to be able to read it in the original language. Never quite made it to the level required for Tolstoy but still increased my admiration for the culture of Russia.
Learning 3-4 languages is a good step for anyone, and there need to be institutions/structures that keep the variety of languages alive. I think there is far too much English and "Starbucks uniform" culture, I am all for chaos and diversity ...
Totally agree with you. Nice to be able to go into a restaurant and order a meal, but for me a language (in my case specially french) is in the first place the doorway to a culture. One of the reasons that I do conversationlessons with help of 'la chanson française'. Not only the pronunciation and the rythm are of enormeous help, but understanding what is behind the words, subtilety of feelings. A never ending story...
Posted: Thu 01 Sep 2016 18:30
by lonesome paddy
So Monty, when you are ordering in a restaurant do you sing for your supper
Posted: Thu 01 Sep 2016 19:23
by monty
