INTRODUCTION
introduction
French is one of the most widely taught languages in the world – chances are you already know a few phrases. Thanks to an invasion of England in the 11th century, it’s also been a major contributor to the vocabulary of English (so if you missed out on the French lessons, you’re still sure to know many French words).
After centuries of contact with English and a shared prehistoric ancestor, French offers English-speakers a relatively smooth path to communicating in another language. The structure of a French sentence won’t come as a surprise and the sounds of the language are generally common to English as well. The few sounds that do differ will be familiar to most through television and film examples of French speakers; the silent ‘h’ and the throaty ‘r’ for example. That’s not to say that what you hear on television is completely accurate, but adopting a faux-French accent as you make your way with this book will probably help you more than you’d expect.
Though distantly related to English, French is more commonly associated with its Romance language siblings, Italian and Spanish. These languages developed from the Latin spoken by the Romans during their conquests of the 1st century BC. French evolved in a different way to Spanish and Italian though (which even today are relatively similar) – comparing the modern forms of these languages gives an idea of just how distinct French is.
at a glance ...
After enjoying the practical advantages of speaking French (being told of a cosy vineyard way off the tourist track, discovering that there’s little merit in the cliched reference to the French being rude), you’ll find the reasons to speak French just keep growing. Regardez the significant body of literature (the Nobel Prize for Literature has gone to French authors a dozen times), film, music ... but perhaps the biggest incentive is that it’s spoken all around the world.
Almost 30 countries cite French as an official language. This doesn’t always mean it’s the only language spoken in a country: in Canada, the use of French is most common in Quebec; in Belgium, its use is more prevalent in the south. Although some of the language’s spread is due to France’s colonisation of various countries in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, French remained the language of international diplomacy until the early 20th century (when English began to take over). It’s still an official language of a number of international organisations, including the Red Cross, the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee, and if you don’t know what par avion means, you haven’t sent a letter overseas (French is also a language of choice for the international postal system).
Need more encouragement? Remember, the contact you make through using French will make your experiences unique. Local knowledge, new relationships and a sense of satisfaction are on the tip of your tongue, so don’t just stand there ...
> abbreviations used in this book
| f | feminine |
| inf | informal |
| m | masculine |
| sg | singular |
| pl | plural |
| pol | polite |