Review of French!
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My Review of the French language
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My Review of French
French is different. There is no other language quite like it. You could say this about any language but, there is an old saying about Jazz that goes - "If you have to ask, you'll never know." I think the same applies to French. For those who have learned some, even the understanding of a little bit opens a window to a whole different view of the world.
A uniquely French view.
The French language has character. French culture and history seem to seep out from underneath the very sound and rhythm of it in a way unlike any other language.
And the peculiarities of written French - its disconnect between the written and spoken form, the complicated spelling, the rules and exceptions to the rules and exceptions to the exceptions, its contractions and accent marks - all give it some of its characteristic look and feel. A "Qu'est-ce que c'est" here and an "Ah! ça c'est drôle" there, and you know without a doubt it's French.
Learning French is relatively easy for a native speaker of English or another Romance language. But, you have to want to learn it. Learning French has its challenges.
French pronunciation is hard. There are few languages so demanding of the speaker. And still, while the French have a reputation for being standoff-ish to those who don't speak French, or speak only poorly, they truly appreciate the effort of those who try to learn it. And the key word there is try. They will demand a real attempt at proper pronunciation. And that can be a challenge.
Thankfully, French vocabulary is relatively easy. There are a lot of cognates between French and English. Which makes reading French a little easier than many other languages. Once you learn these words, they will stay with you a long time.
I studied French for four years in High School and haven't really spoken in the 20 years since then. But I can still read it and get a decent understanding of it. With a little bit of effort, it comes right back. When the time is right, and my schedule catches up, I intend to dive back into French and bring it back to where it was and beyond. It's a language that, once it's in you, never really leaves you alone.
It's hard to adequately describe French. The word that I like is - quaint. Yet somehow contained within that quaintness is a modern and enduring viewpoint. There is a quote by Lionel Jospin that goes "If French is no longer the language of a power, it can be the language of a counter power." That is the essence of the French language. It always strives to define itself and assert itself, or maybe "insist upon itself" as Peter Griffin would say!
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"While learning the language in France a young man’s morals, health and fortune are more irresistibly endangered than in any country of the universe."
- Thomas Jefferson
