Getting Acquainted

with the French Language
         1. French is no stranger.
  You will be surprised to learn that you probably know already the meaning of thousands of
French words. There are in fact several thousand words that have the same spelling and
meaning in French and English, and thousands more with the same meaning that differ
slightly in spelling. Of course the pronunciation of the French words differs greatly from
that of the corresponding English words.
There are also many words borrowed directly from the French without any changes in
spelling and with little or no change at all in pronunciation.
  Here are a few examples of words alike or very similar in French and English:

  a. words spelled alike and having the same meaning but different in pronunciation:

vain fruit danger nation absent station excellent
page image humble nature avenue question important
train table automobile voyage action original diligent
place index idéal client cousin accident intelligent


 b. words of the same meaning, slightly different in spelling and different in pronunciation:

riche
rich 		oncle
uncle 		balle
ball 		objet
object 		scène
scene 		hôtel
hotel 		brun
brown 		bleu
blue
salade
salad 		madame
madam 		touriste
tourist 		sévère
severe 		riviére
river 		parfum
perfume 		métre
meter 		poste
post
difficile
difficult 		famille
family 		qualité
quality 		liberté
liberty 		docteur
doctor 		acteur
actor 		téléphone
telelphone 		télévision
television
visiter
to visit 		excuser
to excuse 		arriver
to arrive 		entrer
to enter 		désirer
to desire 		signer
to sign 		dîner
to dine 		inviter
to invite



c. Words borrowed directly from the French with no changes in spelling and which are
often pronounced differently by English speaking people. These words contain some
good clues to French pronunciation:

café garage ennui lingerie
route chauffeur encore ensemble
rôle liqueur chemise consommé
rouge á propos purée á la carte
château bouquet matinée entrée
coquette             rendez-vous             coup d'état               sabotage
nouveau riche laissez-faire savoir-faire du jour

 There are some French words slightly different in spelling but with quite different
meanings. Thus, demander means to ask for, not to demand; rester means to remain,
to stay, not to rest. Poison (m) means poison in English, but poisson (m) means fish.



         2. French and English pronunciations differ greatly.
 The similarities between French and English vocabulary will be of great help to you
in learning French. However, french and English pronunciations are very different. You
must learn not only to pronounce the French words correctly but to understand them
when you hear them. As in English there are many silent letters, and some sounds,
particularly the vowel sounds, are spelled in various ways. You will have little difficulty
with the spelling if you practice writing as well as saying new words and exercises. The
most important words appear many times in this book, and that will also help you
remember pronunciation, meaning, and spelling.
  In Chapter 2, the pronunciation of the French sounds and their spelling is explained
in detail. The description of the sounds and the pronunciation key should enable you to
pronounce them quite well. If possible you should get a French-speaking person to help
you with your pronunciation, for it is important for you to hear the sounds spoken
correctly and to have your own pronunciation checked.
  You can improve your pronunciation and understanding of the spoken word by
listening to French recordings and radio broadcasts in French. Commercials are
particularly valuable for this purpose, because they contain so much repitition and emphatic
expression. Cassettes of interviews and readings can often be borrowed free or for a small
fee from the university liabraries or the Alliance Française in your community. At first a few
minutes of listening each day will probably be enough. Then, as you progress in your
study of French, you should increase the amount of time you spend listening to the
spoken language.



         3. French is spoken by many people.
  French is spoken not only by the nearly 55 million people of France. About half the
people of Belgium and a fifth of those of Switzerland have French as their mother tongue,
and many more people in those countries speak it as a second language. In the countries
of North America, Central and West Africa that were once under French or Belgian rule,
many of those people still speak French; in fact, it is often the official language of those countries.
In the Western Hemisphere, French is the language of Quebec, Canada, and many
English-speaking Canadians are also fluent in French. It is spoken in Haiti, Martinique,
and Gaudaloupe in the Caribbean, in French Guyana in South America, and in some
other countries in the world.
  For many years French was the sole language of diplomacy and the preferred foreign
language among educated persons in Europe. That is no longer so, but even today French
is probably the second most useful language after English for tourists and businesspersons
traveling in Europe. It is almost indispensible for travel off the beaten track in
North, Central, and West Africa.
  But knowing French is not merely of practical value. It opens the door to a better
understanding of France, its people, its rich and colorful past, its cultural life and history,
and its unique way of life.



Return to Table of Contents    Go on to Chapter 2