The French Language and the French Culture

Learning French, or any language for that matter is not easy!

While I studied or had French around me for 12 years in school (K-11) in British Columbia, without a reason to want to learn and without people to practice with I barely picked up more than a basic understanding. With that, I began three weeks at IFAlpes in Annecy. The first of which was part time, and the second two were full time. Furthermore, my evenings became taken up with some homework and personal study.

After all of that, I have a base which to work with to learn French, Next step, practice, use it, and speak the language. At the same time I've moved into a English speaking job, in a town that caters to English tourists, and even the French speakers hear my accent and respond in English.

In all of my time here I've discovered something that helps. Learning French in not about learning a new way to say something with different words and sounds, it's about learning how a people group think. With French, the degree of precision and very particular way to conjugate verbs depending on how it's being used is similar to the way the people think; there is simply a way that you do things because it's how you do things. Furthermore, the reason why a rule exists in the French language is often to make sure that what is being spoken sounds nice; the French culture appreciates things that are pleasing, to look at, to hear and to taste.

I have learned, that I am not French: I don't like eating late, a don't like long drawn out breaks when there's something that I want to get done, bureaucracy can get out of MY way, I like knowing why I'm doing something a specific way and discovering other ways to do it. 

Though I do love the bread, quality of food, daily shopping, small city centers, and community aspect of life, not to mention the way that public places are cared for, made beautiful and used.

I'm going to claim this as the most difficult part of learning French, thinking like someone else when the change grates against the things that you value.

Okay, value is too strong of a word. Basicly I like me, and I like the way I'm good at being me, and when I see the results of the way the French think I don't want to change the way I think even to learn the language.

So that's the challenge I'm facing, thank's for reading about what life is like through the beard.

What's causing you to grow recently?