When I was first beginning to speak French I would sometimes practice with a friend at work who was fluent. I remember mentioning "hair" on a couple of occasions when I would consistently say chevOH instead of chevOO. Of course I didn't just cut my horse, I cut my hair.
It goes both ways of course. My first French tutor was explaining to me one day in English that he felt he was different than most. "I am eunuch," he said. Wow, I thought, what a confession. I was surprised at how open he was. I realized later he was really trying to say "I am unique".
For me, one of the most careful pronunciations involves my last name. After a few weeks of trying to get the French to pronounce my name correctly I gave up and simply pronounced it in French. This had an unexpected side affect. If I don't pronounce the first syllable just right it sounds like "J'ai peur" (I am afraid). This is, of course, a freudian slip since in those situations when I HAVE to say my name in french I am usually speaking with somebody who is filling out a form and I am, indeed, nervous.
For a long time I was hoping that I could beat my accent. After all, I was the kid who was so good at doing impersonations. Surely I can lose the accent. A friend of mine here made me ask a more important question: why? Why do you want to lose your accent? Don't you find a foreign accent charming? Right you are! And thanks for letting me off the hook for good. :-)
When I was learning French I was convinced that I could lose my nasal Midwestern accent. Until I realized that all of my French friends (who have lived in the Midwest for years) all still have indecipherably thick accents, without exception. I know it's possible to lose the accent, but I'm far too lazy to do it. But thanks for the excuse!
ReplyDeleteYour friend is absolutely right, Jim. If we attempt to speak the language, everyone will forgive our "charming" accents! However, we all know that Minnesotans are charming by nature....with or without the accent! I like the blog redo by the way. You've been busy (though what took me 16 hours probably took you 10 minutes).
ReplyDeleteYou talk pretty someday, Jim! Seriously, you deserve high marks for your unceasing practice and enthusiasm. What helped me the most was singing along with some French singers. I think it's easier to hear the correct accent when singing. I've really enjoyed your blog...the layout's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love the reference MaryBeth. At least my french teachers have never told me “Every day spent with you is like having a cesarean section” although my teacher in Paris was so "crognon" that several of us quit the class.
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