When we speak words that have been written on a page, they take on a life of their own. When we read out loud we add rhythm and emphasis, or vary the pitch of our voice. The technical term for the additional baggage of spoken language is “prosody” – and it’s a very important part of successful communication.
Quoi de plus naturel en somme ?
Richard Good Alvin was the only Asian boy in our class, so he came in for a lot of bullying. Mostly he’d smile forgivingly, though one time he cracked. “You take too much piss!” he complained. His comically ungrammatical observation just prompted more fits of hysterical laughter. There are many definitions of what is and […]
Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux
Richard Good It was my grandfather who first introduced me to French culture. ‘Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better,’ he taught us to repeat, suggesting we said it out loud to ourselves each day, as a way of staying healthy and keeping our spirits up. As I grew up, I got […]
The Syntax of French
“I’m playing all the right notes. But not necessarily in the right order.” Getting the syntax of French right is important.
P’Tit Quinquin
The coast of Northern France is still dotted today with bunkers and blockhouses – remnants of fortifications built by Nazi Germany to defend against Allied invasion. It’s in one such relic near the village of Audresselles that locals make a gruesome discovery. A dead cow, its entrails bloated with the remains of a human body.
Leurs enfants après eux – Nicolas Mathieu
Is there a France that’s been left behind? That’s the accusation that’s racking the conscience of the country’s politicians this month, as they come to terms with les manifestations des gilets jaunes. Thousands of people wearing yellow security vests have been blocking roads up and down the country, in protest against rising fuel prices. The […]
Building your French vocabulary using spaced repetition
Enriching your vocabulary is a key to progressing with your French. Spaced repetition is a technique for improving your ability to retain words and sentences that you hear. Give it a try to see whether it is right for you. A bit of theory Long term memory is forged in a variety of ways. Single […]
Non, moi, je ne m’y résous pas !
Brazil always goes first in the annual debate at the General Assembly of the United Nations. This is because no-one else wants to start. Brazil volunteered in 1950 to break the deadlock and has kept the job ever since. That’s how diplomacy works. As host, the President of the United States is always the first […]
Know your impasse from your cul-de-sac
In praise of French road names.
Il faut que je me souvienne
When the planet’s organised around a global government and I’m the President, everyone will be made to read “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman.