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Thanks to Adnohr, I'm familiar with the word "Mémère" (though I'm not sure how to pronounce it), and thanks to you I'm familiar with the word "gaijin" (though I do not think it is French Canadian). 
posted by
TAPS.
on August 18, 2013 at 11:53 AM
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Goodness Naut it sounds too complicated to me,one has to keep up with the changes or just let someone else fathom them out. I can see you enjoy travel.
posted by
C_C_T
on August 16, 2013 at 11:26 AM
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English, French and Spanish have many words that are similar - pronounciation is a little different. I was lucky, living amonsgt them I couldn't help but pick it up. I speak both so often now that I do get mixed up on occasion. You were lucky too, Naut, by passing the Met at rush hour!! Talk about po
tential for road rage!!
posted by
adnohr
on August 15, 2013 at 3:02 PM
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Gee, I'm actually not sure which is worse: dealing with rush hour traffic, or dealing with people who speak an entirely different language! Believe it or not, I took 2 years of French in high school ( many, many, many moons ago ) because one of my childhood friend's mother was from France, and I thought it would be nice to be able to converse with her in her native tongue. Very soon afterward they moved away, never to be seen or heard of again! And now I can't speak a lick of French! Nice, huh?
posted by
JimmyA
on August 15, 2013 at 1:52 PM
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i have tried to learn italian, Greek and French....forgetit!!!! All I speak is Strine. LOL
posted by
Kabu
on August 15, 2013 at 1:42 PM
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Back in the '80s I took a year of French from Madame, a Parisian.
In this class I learned the true meaning of autocrat, perhaps even dictator. One year of a foreign (other than English) language is required for a BA degree, but I wanted to learn it for myself. One reason was that I wanted to keep my journal in French, it seemed both a writerly thing to do, and my future ex had the habit of reading it without my permission and then raising hell if he didn't like something I'd written. He'd never bother to study a language, and the curiosity would have driven him crazy...
posted by
Pat_B
on August 15, 2013 at 1:37 PM
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I might know a half-dozen words of French, but I am not sure if I can say them in public...This is a good read. Keep 'em coming.
posted by
UtahJay
on August 15, 2013 at 11:50 AM
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I am not super conversant in French either. Like you, I can read it, but when people start talking, it goes over my head.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on August 15, 2013 at 11:39 AM
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