FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

What a fun posting! I have trouble pronouncing the W and TH. Every W sounds like a V - my friend tell me. But I dare them to pronounce Hungarian words.

My children can only pronounce correctly the names of the Hungarian dishes they llike.

Jackie, I commend you on your desire to improve your English and you have a marvelous teacher! You will, however, be totally accepted and appreciated with your accent, which to the American ear is delightful!

Many thanks, Kristin, for this lovely posting about mother and daughter- it warms my heart!

This anecdote is sweet literature, but not fictive. Years ago now for a brief while my wife and I were told by our daughter not to use Spanish in public because it was embarrassing, she thought. Our daughter is now a government employee who got her job not just for her business masters, but also directly due to her Spanish major (and she also earned German, communications, and business majors and a French minor.) To anyone in this situation with their children: be patient. Children eventually grow to appreciate the worth of all modes of communication.

Kristin, bravo to you and Jackie for your efforts with the English. As a retired FRench teacher, I want to tell you that pronouncing the r at the beginning of a word is the hardest place to start with it, both in French and English. If you work on final r's and r's in the middle of the word, she might pick it up quicker. Good luck! And I love reading your blog and seeing the photos you post. BEautiful!

"Trying to find the American r channel" made me smile wide! My own kids don't remember radio tuners with dials - everything is digital now, so it's hard for them to know that feeling of edging up to a station only to slide off into static. But your description was perfect for me. How wonderful for her to be able to practice with you. I, too, long to speak French (and Italian) like a native. I'm brave enough to try, but often think I am genetically incapable of producing certain sounds. Even a simple rolled R seems impossible. I guess I just have an American tongue. lol
Thanks for a great column to start my day!

Jackie- Vous avez tort, si vous croyez que les garçons en Idaho ne aiment pas vôtre accent français. Mais, si vous voulez vraiment à améliorer vôtre anglais/ricaine, Je veux volontiers skype avec vous avec le autorisation de vos parents. J’ai fait la connaissance du vôtre père à Boston l’année dernière. J’ai besoin d’améliorer mon français aussi. Vous aurez un temps magnifique dans Idaho cet été. Je croyais que ricaine est dérisoire ?

darling post, Kristi. love how you presented the conversation. pour moi, those pesky Rs have gotten in the way a time as well -- tarte and Draguignan, most recently. Luckily, I can spell in French :)

Having 14 and 12 year old girls, I certainly know what it's like not to understand "street" language....even if it is a form of American English. By the way, there is a term for hair that is darker all the way to the ends and then gets lighter. It's called ombre! The term can also be used to describe how eye shadow is applied, too. One of my girls complimented me on how my ombre eye shadow looked one day. I had no idea what she was talking about.

Dear Kristin,

Kudos for your effort to teach Jackie! Growing up bilingual gives so many advantages, not the least of which is the ability to easily acquire a third language.

My French teacher, a bilingual person who is originally German, used to English to German children. They also had great difficulty with the American "r". She would tell them to imagine they had green peas on their tongue, and then try to roll the peas against the roof of their mouth. Perhaps her advice can help Jackie.

Good luck with your efforts!

Johanna DeMay
Albuquerque

Yes, tell Jackie that her hairstyle in America is called "ombre." At least that's some argot she'll have. For me, French r's will be my downfall. I never could roll them in Spanish class either. Thank you for sharing such a sweet teenage moment with us. While her new American friends will love the exotic nature of her foreign accent, teenagers wanting to fit in and not stick out in any way is definitely a universal language. She will do fine in her foreign tongue, just like her mother does.

For learning the "argot", maybe your daughter could connect with a high school French teacher here who could put her in touch with his/her students to exchange language "tutoring". It might be better to start in Idaho, since some argot tends to be regional.
If she did that, she would already have an introduction to some of the natives her own age when she arrives.

Another note: You should teach her about (American) football and baseball. There are hundreds of idioms that come out of those two sports -- "southpaw", "home run", "on deck", "couldn't get to first base", "out of left field", "step up to the plate", "1st and 10", etc.

What a lovely story! My eldest daughter was born in Paris; we both speak French. It's been a wonderful bond between us. I've been told my "r"s are very good and I wonder if it's from hearing it so young. I lived in Montreal as a small child and remember my frustration at not being able to communicate with many of the neighbourhood children. They seemed so exotic! I was five when I promised myself I'd learn French one day. Now the accent québecois sounds strange and flat to me, but I do understand it (usually, lol). I'm in heaven when I hear a real Parisian accent, though. Jackie has no idea how adorable her French accent will sound to Americans but I applaud her efforts to improve her English.

Oooh, Long Story so I will try to be brief. In 2006 we attended a wedding in the Dordogne. I boned up on my H.S. & college French as best I could and while attending the wedding was a 'hit' with the French in-laws because I was the ONLY 'Ricane there who spoke French. Even rudimentary French works well in social situations where you can turn the conversations to those words that you know and have many short conversations with dozens of people. Flash forward to 2008 when we are visiting again with the French in-laws, but it is a small, intimate dinner for 8. Apparently they had thought I was much more fluent than I am, since they barraged me with questions and comments ALL in French and about 1/2 through the meal I had to confess that my French is not as good as it had first appeared. Although we were dining on Coq au Vin, I had to eat a little Crow. Story #2: 2006 in a little bistro in Paris again trying out my French. When I became tongue tied our charming waiter encouraged me to continue because, as he said "Votre Francais etes adorable"! ...The moral for Jackie is that "Accents can be 'cute'!" lol

Thank you for the smile, Kristin. And the inspiration. I will be visiting Tourettes-sur-Loup in just two months, and I really want to impress my brother-in-law with my French. Unfortunately all the French I have now is from high school lessons long, long, long ago, and my accent...tres mal. But I will try to learn...perhaps if I can conquer truffe...

Love it! I too have a touch of Jodi Foster-envy. And my impossible to pronounce french word is "roi." I avoid this word at all costs or end up saying "le king" or " mari de la reine". otherwise I end up with the horrible sounding: "wah" accompanied by a very un-french gag-reflex sound. sigh.

Thank you for the great post! It is nice to know that other native English speakers who have been speaking French for along time (and who have spent time in France!) still have trouble with the "r" as well!

What a great thing to be able to share language learning with your children.

Thank you for your wonderful blog, that always makes my day a little better because there is some French in it!

Merci mille fois!

My French stumbling block of the day is trying to pronounce "procureur" after having become hooked on the TV series "Engrenages." I can usually handle one "r" sound in a word, but three is de trop. And as a former teenager (il y a longtemps), there is no doubt that American boys will find Jackie very attractive, French accent or no.

Dear Kristin:
This story brought back so many personal memories. I was born in France to a French mother and German father. I came to the U.S. when I was a bit more than two years old...
As a child I begged my mother not to speak French to me. Fast Forward Junior High School, I realized what a great advantage I had to be able to speak this beautiful language(and an easy A to boot). At that point, I begged my mother to speak French to me whenever we had the opportunity.
I learned to love French and went on to get an M.A. in French literature and to teach French for over 40 years. Vive le francais.
I hope that Jackie will continue to take advantage of her Anglophone mother. I have found that being bilingual has brought me many friends and a wonderful teaching career. Warm regards, Janine Cortell

My own French pronunciation is so bad that I could not believe that the French people at dinner with us one night in Normandy did not break into raucous laughter when I attempted to speak. They didn't even smile, bless their hearts.
We met a waitress in Brugge who spoke such perfect American that we asked her if she had lived there. No--she watched American movies and then practiced the way the starlets moved their mouths. Your daughter might enjoy trying that.

What a bright, loving story...truly one of your best. I'll bet it almost wrote itself. And if it didn't, it reads as if it did, so there's your craft kicking in!
Jackie will have a ball, as long as the girls aren't too jealous. Are "Mean Girls" a problem in France, as they have been here?
And Kristin, hope you're loving the openness of the sea Bandol in contrast to the inland quality of Sainte-Cécile. That's my regret about Vaison - no water. When we're there, we've started spending a few days on the coast. Last time driving back, we stopped in Bandol & lunched on great thin crust Roman pizza. Cannot get anything close in our neck of the woods!!!

This story delighted me so very much! So lovely. As ever,thank you for sharing these poignant moments. Best, gina

Great story Kristen!

It made me smile. It's raining on the coast of Oregon --- so you brought some sunshine my way!

Be well.

Kristin & Jackie, I am in NZ visiting my family,was visiting the local mall and shopping at L'Occitane for perfume,the delightfull assistant was very helpful and we commented on her very good English accent and asked where she came from in France, and when she told us Brittany I was interested due to hereditary links, needless to say she said she was on a working holiday to improve her English before she went home to take up her university studies. She was happy we enjoyed talking to her and my daughter and I commented on her beautifully spoken English, which of course is different again to American English.No matter whatever your accent is if you make yourself understood Jackie, everyone will be delighted to hear you speak. June,Gold Coast, Qld

Now I know why my 14 year old greeted me tonight with "Bonjour maman!" (He reads your post which we both love!) My mum is Scottish and promised my dying father that my brother and I would always continue to study in French in Canada. I remember thanking her at the age of 16 because I never had a problem getting a summer job and I knew it was a blessing! In school, I had teachers of all accents: Quebec, Swiss, French, Belgian, Moroccan, Haitian. It gave me a wonderful ear for all French accents! It's sad that, too often, the French language is rated, by some, instead of celebrated. We all speak the language of "Moliere"!

Here is a good exercise for Jackie that our French exchange student had to say before dinner every night. "The Three Trees" until it does not sound like "De Dree Drees"!

Kristin I relate to you and Jackie in this story. The "r" sound in both English and French present problems for non-native speakers. I am a native English speaker, FYI. Please share with Jackie that I admire her desire to perfect the way she speaks English. Speaking like a native regardless of the language in questions is never easy but the natives will appreciate and respect the effort. Of course, they will also love her French accent!

I always thought that ricaine was a pejoritive term. Is that incorrect?
Thx

Jackie & Kristin! You had the right idea with Row Row Row Your Boat! As a language teacher (and student), I advise you to *sing* the difficult sounds -- or everything you want to pronounce. For reasons I don't know and perhaps linguists do, having the tune and the rhythm along with the words does help our brains arrive at the pronunciation we seek. But I agree with the people who say: *Don't* lose your French accent. First, it is nearly impossible after puberty due to our brain's structure at that point. Second: many accents are considered charming in the U.S., and French diction is surely paramount among those. But mostly: it's a waste of time if you are 13 or older: concentrate on *intonation,* which is crucial for people to comprehend you in English: much more important than the pronunciation of isolated sounds. Get the rhythm, the emphasis on syllables: You'll be much better understood!

I hope your daughter learns to speak American like a native, just as she speaks French like a native -- which seems to be what she wants to do.

Hearing it from you with plenty of feedback may be the fastest way.

Of course the internet is full of help.
This site tries to show by diagram, and plays short tapes of the sound.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

The woman on this you tube video describes the American English liquid consonant r more the way I would -- maybe it is helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya1sJSqw7uM

Repetition is the sure way to success, really.

Very lovely story, on all counts.

Bonne chance, Jackie. C'est toujours difficile de parler une autre langue. We learned a line in college illustrating the many "u" sounds in French: "Je ne sais pas ou se trouve le tutu de tulle rouge de Lulu d'Honolulu." So we Americans are always impressed with someone's attempts to speak our language. The r's in Spanish are very hard for us also. And the speed with which foreign languages are spoken is very difficult for us to follow. Someone told me once that our English seems that rapid to a non-English speaker. I have to play your Papa's language bit two or three times to follow it.
Keep "rowing" your boat and by this summer you will be way ahead of us in our attempts to speak French!

What a 'rounderful' story! When I took French in college, years ago, I had a professor who stressed the tongue and mouth position - it really helped with the ou, u, and the r. What a wonderful experience for you and Jackie! I recently met a high school exchange student from Vienne, France, and she was really surprised when her peers at the American high school wanted her to 'say something in French' and then would tell her how much they LOVED to hear her speak French - so sexy! It is much admired in America. But, she thought it was just 'normal' and nothing special. Jackie will have so much fun - what a great experience! I really admire her desire to learn another language - she's lucky to have such a good teacher!

Bonjour from St. Louis!
So many posts! If you get to read this, Merrill Hakim's post has sound advice. One of my previous occupations was elementary school speech pathologist. The best method I found to correct the w for r pronunciation taught us to start with words ending in the ar and er sounds. You reinforce the feel of the position of the tongue, jaw, mouth; whatever connects in their brain. Once ar, er sounds are mastered, you begin to pair with words beginning with r - essentially rolling into the word. (car/ride, winter/race). The pairs don't have to make sense together, it's just a drill exercise. Eventually you take away the ar & er words. Saying er-red, ar-round, er-race, etc., getting the feel for that, then dropping the er part. Words with r in the middle are good to practice at this stage too. Anyway it was a very successful technique for me. Developmentally children shouldn't be expected to master correct r pronunciation until around the age of second grade. I had quite a few 2nd grade parents think I was some kind of miracle worker, as they had been trying to help their kids before they were physiologically ready! So dear Kristin, try this & your darling capable Jackie will have success and think you a miracle worker! P.S. consonant blends are the hardest, recommend not starting with any of those r words. Bonne chance!

Wonderful story! :-) thank you Kristi.

Here are a few tongue-twisters my English professor gave me long time ago when I needed to make a transition from previously learned British to American pronunciation. In any case, I still have the slight Russian accent peeking through as I have been told on occasion, but those drRilling exercises (and boy! did he make sure they were drilling!) helped me learn rather a nicely resonated American "Rrr" I have right now:

Oh! No need to type them at all! I forgot a few words, and the mighty internet delivered upon my request just in a couple of seconds: http://festival.1september.ru/articles/513522/

And here's the one that is not listed there:

Trouble

by David Keppel

Never trouble trouble
    Until trouble troubles you;
For you only make your trouble
    Double-trouble when you do;
And the trouble — like a bubble —
    That you're troubling about,
May be nothing but a zero
    With its rim rubbed out.

There are of course some self-help "learn accents" cds of all kinds, which with some, perhaps, considerable (for some folks) effort could definitely help to chisel any accent to perfection! As I have also noticed, some people with any strong musical background usually able to hone any accent in no time.

Hope it helps.

I cannot for the life of me do the French "r", Spanish "r" or even the Finnish "r". but then again many people of the fore mentioned nationalities cannot do a proper "th" as in Kathy. Many of us have difficulty with pronouncing foreign words unless we were taught at an early age so that our tongues could form the proper sounds.

Kathleen

It's fabulous that Jackie appreciates what a great opportunity it is having a native English speaker for a mom and trying to learn all she can from you. She sounds like a smart girl. This reminds me, Kristin, that when I listen to you speak French, which you do beautifully, I have noticed that your r's stand out. What I hear you doing is a combination of the American r and the French r, that is, you start out with the American r and then finish with the French throat sound. If you could just forget the American part I bet you could improve it. Ask Jackie what she thinks about that.

To non-French nationalities, the sound of someone speaking English with a French accent is beautiful, almost mesmerizing. I think it would be a great pity for your daughter to lose her French accent completely when speaking English.

Such a sweet little story. As a mother of two teenager daughters, I know these type of moments are precious.