To All You French Speakers
...or should I say "to all you English speakers: you're really speaking French!"
I started pre-class classes yesterday*. This French class is to jump-start our French and to prepare us for the major differences between French and American universities. Anyway, according to my rather amusing French professor, 45-50% of all English words come from French. Good job guys! You are half way there! I could start writing this blog in French!
Lucky for you, I won't. This is my English outlet during an all French, English-forbidden semester. But I can let you in on some rather fascinating information we covered during our discussion on "faux-amis" (french words that sound like English words but that have different definitions) and other diction-related topics.
For example: one of our most precious, elegant, sacred traditions in America--The Barbecue, or "BBQ"--is really from French! Our baguette-loving, cheese-eating friends would say "de la barbe à la queue," meaning "from the beard to the tail". We're just the ones that slathered sauce all over the beast after he was skewered and cooked to tenderness.
*(It is now Friday. I will be taking the TCF, a French placement test, tomorrow to determine my level, set a benchmark for improvement, and place me in my future classes. Wish me luck)
I started pre-class classes yesterday*. This French class is to jump-start our French and to prepare us for the major differences between French and American universities. Anyway, according to my rather amusing French professor, 45-50% of all English words come from French. Good job guys! You are half way there! I could start writing this blog in French!
Lucky for you, I won't. This is my English outlet during an all French, English-forbidden semester. But I can let you in on some rather fascinating information we covered during our discussion on "faux-amis" (french words that sound like English words but that have different definitions) and other diction-related topics.
For example: one of our most precious, elegant, sacred traditions in America--The Barbecue, or "BBQ"--is really from French! Our baguette-loving, cheese-eating friends would say "de la barbe à la queue," meaning "from the beard to the tail". We're just the ones that slathered sauce all over the beast after he was skewered and cooked to tenderness.
*(It is now Friday. I will be taking the TCF, a French placement test, tomorrow to determine my level, set a benchmark for improvement, and place me in my future classes. Wish me luck)
Looking forward to more language lessons. Good luck on the test!!!!!!!!
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