Retire to Paris, anyone?
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Heard a Misssouri governor from a town near my hometown trying to speak French on the radio. My French sounds like his, horrible.
When in France or mexico or wherever, the natives always flinch when they hear me try to speak their language.
I blame it on what the linguists have called a patois that is spoken in and around my hometown and my lousy hearing. -
Someone I follow on YouTube put out this informative video today...
Link to video
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I've been to Paris a handful of times. It's said that Parisians hate Americans, but that's not true. Parisians hate everyone.
And as for the language ... if I went in to a cafe and tried to order in French, they'd respond in English. Go into the same cafe, the next day, try to order in English ... they'd act as if they don't speak English.
Outside of Paris, the people were friendly and lovely.
I forget who said it, but the saying goes that Paris is a beautiful city that Parisians don't deserve.
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I took 8 years of beginning French in public school. Then switched to Russian. I like Russian a lot better. But I got along OK in Paris with my first-year French. I had a French roommate in India and so had practiced a lot with her before I went. I was warned never to start out with English, even if you know the waiter speaks English, because it looks like you aren't even trying. That approach served me well in other countries with other languages as well. Seems like everyone likes an American who starts the conversation with fractured Spanish, German, Italian, whatever, rather than expecting others to speak your language. Now the app on my phone takes care of the issue when I have to communicate with someone who doesn't understand English at all.
I think I would likely be happier in rural France.
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I took French from Grade 1-9. When we were in Strasbourg a couple years ago I was able to stumble through a conversation with a shop keeper from whom I was buying linens. But she was VERY kind about slowing down, rephrasing, and dealing with my very simple sentences. Also, there are significant differences between Quebecois French and France French, as shown in this silly video with Justin Trudeau and some French speakersâŚ
https://www.tiktok.com/@atfrenchies/video/7424155769278352671
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My parents and relatives spoke Quebecois French. I spoke it exclusively until I started school. I remember being in remedial reading in the first few grades because my English was not good. I took French for four years in high school. I knew a lot of words already but not much about formal French grammar. I have since self studied French with the help here and there of some online courses. I'd love to have a real life French speaker to practice with.
I read an Interesting article a few years back which stated that Quebecois is closer to 16th -- 18th century French--that of the aristocrats--than what Parisian is today. Apparently Quebecois has been slower to evolve so it retains it's royal roots.
