Word for the Travel Wise (06/17/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

As summer quickly comes near I can’t keep from thinking of great beach destinations to spend simmering days in the hot sun cooling off by the ocean. Malta maybe? Ibiza perhaps? Jamaica sounds good. Beyond anything I’d love to take off to a place in the Carribbean like Martinique, St. Lucia or Guadalupe before hurricane season really kicks in with fierce everyday rains, but chances are that trip won’t be happening soon. Until it does I’ll just keep dreaming – as always.

Today’s word is a French word used in Martinique:

pensées – thoughts

French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.

Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis, ma reum (mère)

Word for the Travel Wise (04/01/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

After discovering the Josephine Baker tours being held this year in France I have made a conscious decision to not only tour France, but to brush up intensely on my French. Yes, I know. In my last two posts I was a little hard on the lang, constantly noting how I don’t really care to waste my time learning such a pretentious tongue, but let’s just say I’ve had a change of heart. French isn’t half as bad as I make it sound and doesn’t sound half as bad as Thai for instance. The beauty of the French language like Spanish and other Romance lingos is the similarities among several words. It’s usually all those abstract accent marks making it seem as if the word is much harder to pronounce. In that case I suggest you either avoid or just ignore the marks completely and say the words as you normally may in English with a slight Texas-drawl.

Today’s word is a French word used in France:

frottis – (pronounced fro-tee) fruit

This word is an easy one. No accents marks either. It’s only a smidge different from the English meaning in pronunciation. Here’s a formula to follow: frottis – (fro-tee) – fruit – (fruity). Those French fashionistas may be right about American’s being flashy in attire, but nothing is more flamboyant than their vernacular, so make sure you kick up the body language and wiggle just a little when you say today’s word. Tell your server at the restaurant you’re in the mood for something frottis or the old woman and vendor of the fruit stand that you want the freshest of frottis. They’ll be so impressed you’ll want to thank me later.

Anyhow… free online sources include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.

Past French words: confiture, difficile