A “pinch” of linguistics

The French vocabulary is numerically more limited than the English one. There are different ways of overcoming this shortage of words. It is usually done through some grammatical artifice. One of these consists in adding a group of words to the noun to clarify its meaning, where the English language usually has just one word. For example we say “le bouton de la chemise” (button), “le bouton de rose” (rosebud), “le bouton de porte” (doorknob) and to cut quite a long list of “boutons” short “le bouton sur le nez” which is a pimple on the nose! There are many other words requiring a little supplement to be correctly understood.

Another way of getting more meaning from a word through a grammatical device: changing the gender of a given word. For example:

• “le” or “la” livre, one you read (book) the other you spend or weigh items with(pound)
• “le” or “la tour”, one on your bike around France the other may be called Eiffel!
• “le voile” which is worn over the head by a nun or a bride whereas “la voile” will enable you to sail your boat
• a bunch of flowers goes into “le vase”, but the slimy stuff at the bottom of the river is “la vase”

You also have “le mousse”, the youngest sailor onboard a ship or “la mousse”. You can also have yet more choices by adding the first grammatical artifice of adding words, with the second of a different gender:

• “la mousse au chocolat” (chocolate mousse)
• “la mousse de la bière”, the white stuff on your pint
• “la mousse” you create when you wash with a piece of soap

to name but a few.

 

As if that wasn’t confusing enough, there is more to using the masculine and feminine in French! Many masculine nouns also have also a feminine form. Some are pretty straightforward: “un coiffeur” becomes “une coiffeuse” in the feminine form, where both mean hairdresser (a man or woman). Unfortunately there are cases where the meaning varies a little and doesn’t sound very flattering to a woman’s ear. To name a couple: “un homme léger” is charming and witty man, “une femme légère” implies a fallen woman. “Un petit gars” is a cute young lad, whereas “une petite garce” is a husband’s nightmare. One might speculate that this could due to the fact that French grammar was originally devised by male scholars… Luckily we are here to help you sort out the subtleties of our intriguing language!

Eternal France

From quaint villages in the Cévennes or Brittany, to the dazzling white slopes of the Alps, or even the opal green seascapes of Normandy, it is true that France is a beautiful and varied country. Plentiful are the hidden parts of “la France profonde” which are real gems. Some have hardly changed through the ages. These images are magnified in our memories as being basked in glorious sunshine, yet only a small part of France enjoys blue skies all year round. If you are thinking to move to France, we would advise you visit your chosen area in all seasons. It is true that the climate of France is considered on the whole to be rather clement. There are however at least four major zones corresponding to a more specific sub-climate:

• “Oceanic” in Western France from Normandy to the Basque country via the Bordeaux area. From North to South there are variations. However Normandy and Brittany greatly resemble Devon and Cornwall in landscape, vegetation and weather.
• “Continental” in Eastern parts such as Champagne, Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. Those regions enjoy the extremes, from scorching summers to violent storms and sub-zero temperatures in winter.
• “Mountain climate” in the Jura, the Alps, The Massif Central or the Pyrénées. Life and weather are similar to other European high altitude regions such as Switzerland or Austria.
• “Mediterranean” by far the smallest zone of all, along the Riviera and Southern Languedoc. Ironically, this is typically the image most people have of France as a whole. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security as while a city like Montpellier can enjoy on average over 250 days of annual sunshine, the average rainfall there is the same as in Cambridge.

These four climate zones along with approximately 600 micro-climates account for the rich and varied regional delicacies and wines. Remember, like most parts of the UK, France has varied weather depending on the time of year. If you love it in all seasons, rain or shine, then you are ready for the big move!

France today

Not one single week goes by without the French expressing their discontent through a protest march or a strike! Radio stations air comedian sketches that make fun of French politicians on a daily basis. This affects all walks of life, social status and sectors. On the whole, no matter how disruptive these protests might be, most of the French population support these actions. Naturally, if strikes tend to linger, this creates new debate and discontent, so a fine balance has to be struck. All in all, this is as integral to French life and culture as bread and cheese!

To illustrate the point here is a short list (!) of some of the varied topics that have hit the news this week:

Transport 

Paris public transports (RATP) one day strike Friday 12th March 2010Air France pilots on strike starting late February and continuing into March, affecting regional airports. This following on from the Air Controllers strikes earlier in February. National French Railway (SNCF) strike predicted for March 23rd 2010


Education
Strike and protest march on the 12th March 2010 in Paris and other cities in France for all educators from primary schools to university.

Healthcare
Protest march & strike of all nursing staff on the 11th March 2010. GP national strike on the same date, to get an extra euro per consultation. 

Media
Just in time for the local election results, French television channels are threatening blackouts during their broadcast this weekend!

Public Services
Refuse collections interrupted by strike action in Marseille since March 6th 2010.

Should you want to join the French in these types of debates, we can help you brush up your language skills quickly and effectively, so you can truly enjoy all aspects of French life!