Enjoy French from the Very Beginning

I know that I don’t have to be an expert in a language in order to appreciate and use it. But I acquired that knowledge long before I became interested in French. After suffering through a year of Latin in high school, I changed my  foreign language studies to German. I had no idea how to study a foreign language when I was in Latin classes. But in switching to German, I discovered that Latin had given me a pretty good start.

One bateau mouche.

I studied German in high school and at college. After reaching a level of study fit for reading literature only, I left German behind (I thought). As it happened, the first time I was able to speak my German to actual German-speaking people was on a bateau mouche floating down the Seine. I sat next to two middle-aged German ladies who did not speak English. So, I tried out my German by asking them if they understood me. They did and told me I was doing well. What a relief for me! I always worried that I would never be able to be understood if German was needed. Maybe coming from the Midwest and from a family of largely German immigrants helped me to sound really German. My teachers were native speakers but each with a very different accent.

As luck would have it, after I married, my husband traveled to Germany frequently to teach classes in Fortran and other computer topics. So twice I traveled with him to Münich and did touristy things while he worked. The German in southern Germany is definitely different than the standard Hochdeutsch used in schools there and taught in schools here. They understood me on the street, but there was no assurance that I understood them.

I even studied German at the Berlitz School in Marienplatz while I was there. It must have been at that point that I left behind any hope of ever remembering enough vocabulary to make progress. Like English, German has many compound words. Different from English, the compound words often meant something entirely different than the words that composed it. I couldn't wrap my head around that.

Marienplatz, Munich, Germany

My experiences learning French have been quite different. Suddenly finding myself in France with no French, I felt like I had taken a high dive into a very deep pool. But my hunger drove me to learn as much French as I could just to eat. (Read my blog of Oct 28, 2011, "Sorting through French Study Options.") Instead of having the time to approach the language in an organized fashion, I learned everything by imitation of the people around me. I asked a lot of questions about the French from students and locals. I couldn't have a conversation but I was wonderful at ordering off of menus, asking for the location of toilets, calling for another beer or coffee at the outdoor cafés.

I have been enjoying interaction with French culture and French friends (even though I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on around me) right from the start.

French culture takes great pride the French language. Thus, every French person has been a very good instructor for me. A French waitress has matter-of-factly corrected me to say “un café” instead of “une café” when ordering coffee. People on the subway and in businesses have taken time to correct my pronunciation or vocabulary in a helpful manner. Amusingly, one young French fellow demanded to know why my group did not speak French in France. (He spoke to us in English.) I baffled him a bit, replying that I studied German and never expected to be in France! (That did seem to stump him.)

I know that if I put concentrated effort into learning French, I will increase my access to the French people. They will continue to educate me politely and voluntarily. For me, this my greatest incentive to learn French. Having willing participants is a necessity. I could never find that in German even in Germany. (The Germans were nice but always insisted on speaking English.)

I have yet to experience anything similar to this on-the-spot coaching in other countries. The Germans may cringe in pain while I’ve butchered the language, but outside of German classes, I’ve rarely been corrected or encouraged.  The Spanish were likely to just wait until we found an interpreter.

We Americans are so forgiving of the misuse of the English language that even our TV and radio personalities drop the “ly” off of their adjectives, abuse verbs, and confuse “good” for “well.” (e.g. “You done good honey.”) I have come to believe the American audience believes this is “folksy.” Unfortunately, most Americans do not take well to correction in their own language no matter how well intended.

A living language is never an isolated tool. It must always be attached to a living culture... even Latin. To be useful, a language must express what its people hold dear. Because the French are, well, the French... I will always enjoy the French language and culture as a total experience.