A New Year, A New Language
A new year for many people means a time to make changes in their lives. It’s a chance to start again on a quest for a better body, better relationships, or a better life. I’ve been thinking about what I’ll resolve to do in this new year, and I have decided to study French.
Since I live in Canada, I feel as though I have a beginner’s grasp of the French language already, especially the written word. The province I live in is almost entirely English-speaking, but I’ve made a point of carefully reading signs and labels that are printed both in English and in French. Thus far I have a good recognition of a certain class of words: mordant (zesty), pain (bread), etc. And so it has begun.
To continue this study, I thought it best to study the spoken word. I’ve happened upon a copy of Lonely Planet’s French phrasebook, which I figured would give me a good, basic introduction to speaking French.
The first section of the book is all about pronunciation. This is great because to me the hardest part about learning French is knowing how to say words correctly. I have always felt that the sillier I feel as I speak another language results in the closest to the correct pronunciation. But as I read this section, I already hit a snag. On page 11, the book advises, “As you order another coffee, listen to fellow patrons and note some of the differences in their pronunciation.” The writers of this book assume I’m now in a Paris café! I know it’s not vital to be in any particular place as I delve into this book, and I know this book is meant for the traveler, but imagining that some learners are relaxing in an outdoor Paris street café while I’m on an ordinary futon couch back in the real world seems somewhat unfair. So far, my only experience with French-speakers was in a Quebec gas station. Most of that conversation ended up being in English, but if all goes well soon I’ll be able to ask about bathroom locations in French.
The next sections in the book are both practical and boring. I hope I never need to know some of this stuff, because it’s hard to concentrate on such sensible subjects as recognizing parts of a car, buying tickets, and operating a cell phone. It’s likely that when things like this invariably do come up, I’ll be the American jerk paging through the book looking for the correct word while a rowdy, mob-like line of locals semi-patiently wait behind me. I did read the part about border-crossing pretty carefully because I saw how easy it would be for things to slip out of control. The translated sentences in this section go from, “I have nothing to declare” to “I have something to declare” to “I didn’t know I had to declare it.” Then, just below these sentences (just in case, perhaps) it lists the translations for “I need to make a phone call” and “I need a lawyer.” Out of curiosity, I’d like to know what sort of things the writer of this book tried to bring into France without declaring.
My favorite part of this guide is definitely the “Social” section. (This is the section that teenage rascals probably flip to first to find phrases to say to their friends — Teenage Rascal: “Hey, you’re a travelo! I just said you’re a drag queen in French! Ha, ha!”) The book deals heavily in social matters from casual friendships all the way to serious relationships. For anyone who’s looking to make a love connection in French, I’d suggest thinking up your own pick-up lines. You’ve got to be pretty irresistible for someone to fall for you after you’ve asked their star sign or if they come to a particular place often. However, if the person of your choice was captured under your spell by your remarkably witty pick-up lines, perhaps you’ll be able to use the next section. This section will guide you from the initial “I like you very much” to the eventual “I want you.” Don’t worry — it also includes how to say how you feel about encounters, giving you the option of saying whether your time together was excellent, super, or bizarre (that is: amazing, great, or weird).
The final section of the book is entitled “Safe Travel” and deals with important health and emergency information. My advice about the first page of this section is that it might be best to learn these words even before you find yourself in a French-speaking environment. In case you ever find yourself being urgently yelled to, you should already know all of the words in the category that includes “Watch out!” and “Stop!”
I also see from the dentistry section that the word for “ouch” is actually “aie” in French. When I first came across that, for some reason I imagined a cartoonish-looking man sitting in a dentist chair in Paris, feverishly flipping through the pages of this book to find the correct translation for “ouch.” Somehow I think that a real French dentist will probably understand the gist of the English word. As a side note, I discovered from some kids that the Korean word for a small “ouch” is “ayah.” Apparently the word for a big “ouch” is simply “AAAH!” It makes sense to me.
Melinda Cameron says: “Parlez-vous anglais?“
April 20th, 2007 at 10:19 am
cream pie teen blonde
Relevant information about cream pie teen blonde.
April 20th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
blonde busty porn
Latest blonde busty porn news
April 21st, 2007 at 6:11 am
ass fuck clip
Books about ass fuck clip.
April 21st, 2007 at 5:25 pm
lesbian porn star
This page contains some info about lesbian porn star
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:54 am
cross dressing porn
Relevant information about cross dressing porn.
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
cup pyrex
Title of cup pyrex
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:18 pm
cathy gang bang
Relevant cathy gang bang
April 22nd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
lesbo pic
Aggregator of lesbo pic sites
April 23rd, 2007 at 1:25 am
group fuck
Actual news on group fuck category.
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:00 am
brunette porn star
brunette porn star application
April 23rd, 2007 at 8:49 am
wet fingering
Relevant search results and links for wet fingering
April 23rd, 2007 at 12:28 pm
pink teen pussy
Value source for pink teen pussy.
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:26 pm
hairy young teen
News about hairy young teen.
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:38 pm
granny tranny
Relevant information about granny tranny.
April 23rd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
brad pic pitt playgirl
brad pic pitt playgirl application
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
backseat girl horny
Research about backseat girl horny.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:12 am
lesbian orgasm
The lesbian orgasm
April 24th, 2007 at 2:59 am
zemanova lesbian
zemanova lesbian info
April 24th, 2007 at 5:50 am
household sex toy
household sex toy info
April 24th, 2007 at 7:34 am
adult film
Title of adult film
April 24th, 2007 at 9:18 am
whip it
Technologies of whip it
April 24th, 2007 at 11:02 am
bittorrent site
Catalogue of bittorrent site.
April 24th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
huge tit bikini
Top news about huge tit bikini.
April 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
nude teen virgins
nude teen virgins co
April 24th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
horny teen masturbate
Relevant information about horny teen masturbate.
April 24th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
hand job sex
Advantages of hand job sex.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
sexy blonde bomb shell
sexy blonde bomb shell introduction
April 25th, 2007 at 12:36 am
toon sex photo
toon sex photo start page
April 25th, 2007 at 1:56 am
bang bus monica
Reviews of bang bus monica.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:16 am
movie party sex
Value information about movie party sex
April 25th, 2007 at 4:40 am
hot milf sex
Master information for hot milf sex.
April 25th, 2007 at 5:58 am
interracial sex story
interracial sex story intro article
April 25th, 2007 at 7:19 am
dripping pussy
Eye of dripping pussy
April 25th, 2007 at 8:41 am
very young little sex
very young little sex friends
April 25th, 2007 at 10:11 am
donks miami whip
Features of donks miami whip.
April 25th, 2007 at 11:26 am
famous porn comic
Good information about famous porn comic.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:33 am
free online sex story
Good information about free online sex story.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:21 am
beastie boy mp3
This page contains some info about beastie boy mp3
April 26th, 2007 at 9:37 am
gwen private sex
Fresh news on gwen private sex.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:56 am
bobble brook head robinson
Relevant search results and links for bobble brook head robinson
April 26th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
porn sexy video
Of porn sexy video and more
April 26th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
girls kissing
Approved articles about girls kissing.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
katie milf seeker
katie milf seeker info
April 26th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
virgin nigeria
Master information for virgin nigeria.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
free online porn game
Reviews on free online porn game.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
dirty asian sex
Info about dirty asian sex.
April 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
group hardcore fuck
Good information about group hardcore fuck.
June 14th, 2007 at 6:51 am
resize picture on myspace
shit-happens 3342755 Actual articles about resize picture on myspace and more.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
pheasant resort run
shit-happens 3342755 Pros and cons of pheasant resort run.
June 14th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
speaker standard
shit-happens 3342755 Approved articles about speaker standard.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
crossword easy puzzle
shit-happens 3342755 News about crossword easy puzzle.
June 15th, 2007 at 4:03 am
lead movie take
shit-happens 3342755 Good information about lead movie take.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:14 am
estate one real realty
shit-happens 3342755 Catalogue of estate one real realty.
June 15th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
omni hotel houston
shit-happens 3342755 News about omni hotel houston.
June 15th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
linen store things
shit-happens 3342755 Top news about linen store things.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:49 am
fight pitbull video
shit-happens 3342755 fight pitbull video company
June 16th, 2007 at 5:58 am
vintage purse
shit-happens 3342755 vintage purse application
June 16th, 2007 at 11:06 am
disney channel
shit-happens 3342755 disney channel application
June 16th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
1100 know need words
shit-happens 3342755 Value source for 1100 know need words.
June 16th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
wall mount mail box
shit-happens 3342755 Info about wall mount mail box.
June 17th, 2007 at 2:31 am
art school
shit-happens 3342755 The best of art school.
June 17th, 2007 at 7:40 am
horse drawn carriage
shit-happens 3342755 Very actual information about horse drawn carriage.
June 17th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
beautiful horse
shit-happens 3342755 Reviews of beautiful horse.
June 17th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
give kid world
shit-happens 3342755 homepage of give kid world
June 17th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
case proiecte
shit-happens 3342755 Books about case proiecte.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:28 am
president choice banking
shit-happens 3342755 president choice banking co
June 18th, 2007 at 9:41 am
clock mantle
shit-happens 3342755 clock mantle foundation
June 18th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
russian beauty
shit-happens 3342755 The best of russian beauty.
June 18th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
alicia cds key
shit-happens 3342755 alicia cds key introduction
June 19th, 2007 at 1:34 am
ireland
shit-happens 3342755 Fresh news on ireland.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:48 am
golden seal
shit-happens 3342755 golden seal company
June 19th, 2007 at 11:59 am
cute ass
shit-happens 3342755 Intresting information about cute ass.
June 19th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
student with disability
shit-happens 3342755 student with disability introduction
June 19th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
comment space
shit-happens 3342755 Intresting information about comment space.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:29 am
calculator debt free reduction
shit-happens 3342755 calculator debt free reduction intro article
June 20th, 2007 at 8:43 am
dale watson
shit-happens 3342755 News about dale watson.
June 20th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
grapefruit spoon
shit-happens 3342755 Variants of grapefruit spoon.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
monster gay
shit-happens 3342755 Popular authors of monster gay articles
June 21st, 2007 at 12:45 am
eva mendes nude pic
shit-happens 3342755 Good information about eva mendes nude pic.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:26 am
2007 horoscope
shit-happens 3342755 Title of 2007 horoscope
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
price silver
shit-happens 3342755 Info about price silver.
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 pm
boat ebay motor part
shit-happens 3342755 Books about boat ebay motor part.
June 24th, 2007 at 3:32 am
credit debt services
shit-happens 3342755 Reviews of credit debt services.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:47 am
atlantis hotel in bahamas
shit-happens 3342755 atlantis hotel in bahamas introduction
June 24th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
desnuda jennifer lopez
shit-happens 3342755 Relevant search results and links for desnuda jennifer lopez
June 24th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
the 1599 geneva bible
shit-happens 3342755 Reviews on the 1599 geneva bible.
June 25th, 2007 at 12:48 am
mazda 323
shit-happens 3342755 News about mazda 323.
June 25th, 2007 at 6:23 am
fence proof rabbit
shit-happens 3342755 This site contains relevant information about fence proof rabbit.
June 25th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
asian siren
shit-happens 3342755 This site contains relevant information about asian siren.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
free shemale movie
shit-happens 3342755 free shemale movie author
June 26th, 2007 at 3:52 am
2 god ps2 war
shit-happens 3342755 homepage of 2 god ps2 war
June 26th, 2007 at 9:13 am
milf facial
shit-happens 3342755 Aggregator of milf facial sites
June 26th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
aromatherapy essential oil
shit-happens 3342755 Relevant links for aromatherapy essential oil.
June 26th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
actress bollywood
shit-happens 3342755 Fresh information about actress bollywood.
June 27th, 2007 at 1:56 am
bay irs lawyer tampa
shit-happens 3342755 Aggregator of bay irs lawyer tampa sites
June 27th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
new york city news
shit-happens 3342755 –>new york city news
June 27th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
chief executive officer
shit-happens 3342755 chief executive officer intro article
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 am
blonde boob
This site is about blonde boob.
August 6th, 2007 at 6:41 am
nasty tranny
News about nasty tranny.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:48 am
rocket french audio course order online
rocket french audio course order online
October 13th, 2007 at 4:58 am
rocket french cds sign up
rocket french cds sign up
October 13th, 2007 at 6:32 am
replica 2007 Daytona Iced
replica 2007 Daytona Iced
October 13th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
gratis peliculas porn ver
Title of gratis peliculas porn ver
October 14th, 2007 at 5:38 am
blk gay chat
News about blk gay chat.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
dragonball hentai x
Value information about dragonball hentai x
January 21st, 2008 at 7:07 am
Greatest Gambling Package Ever
Greatest Gambling Package Ever