Francophone or Francophony?

Four years of French classes in high school and I can%26#39;t speak a word. I still get a cold sweat just thinking about conjugating irregular verbs. I paid my dues but haven%26#39;t had a chance to use French over all these years. I feel somewhat betrayed since French had been hyped to me as the international language. I%26#39;ve seen postors commenting on how considerate it would be to learn a little Fench just to show the locals that you care and made an effort. Friends have told me that Parisians seem to expect you to learn French or else they%26#39;ll ignore you. Why all the sensitivity with the language when I%26#39;m only planning a small vacation? Opinions s%26#39;il vous plait?

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%26quot;I%26#39;ve seen postors commenting on how considerate it would be to learn a little Fench just to show the locals that you care and made an effort. %26quot;

I%26#39;ve only made one trip to Paris, but I found that to be the case. It made a difference in how I was treated, no doubt!

%26quot;Friends have told me that Parisians seem to expect you to learn French or else they%26#39;ll ignore you.%26quot;

Maybe, although that might be an overstatement.

%26quot;Why all the sensitivity with the language when I%26#39;m only planning a small vacation?%26quot;

I%26#39;m not sure I%26#39;d call it %26quot;Sensitivity%26quot;. How %26quot;sensitive%26quot; are you when someone comes up to you on the street in Brooklyn and starts speaking French to you in a loud tone, demanding something from you? And speaking louder if you appear not to understand? :)

It takes little effort to learn and use a bit of the local language no matter where you travel.

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%26lt;%26lt;I%26#39;ve seen postors commenting on how considerate it would be to learn a little Fench just to show the locals that you care and made an effort. %26gt;%26gt; This is absolutely true for any country on earth. People are flattered that you have taken the time to invest a bit in their culture. Think how people are treated at your local grocery store... who is going to get the better treatment? Somebody who smiles, says hello and then explains in broken English that they don%26#39;t speak the language but points politely to what they require, or the boar who comes in speak a foreign language expecting everyone to understand their needs?

That said, we are talking about the simplest of terms. Hello, goodbye, please, thank you and excuse me. ALL 100% conjugation free!!!

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Time to post this again LOL. Please have a look Lotus.

http://www.secretsofparis.com/with-parisians/

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It%26#39;s important when traveling anywhere to do your part to communicate in the language of the country you are visiting. NOt fluently, but a few simple words will get you far.

Anyone who said the French will ignore you if you don%26#39;t know French are simply out of their minds.

But just think about if someone came to you on the street asking questions in Japanese, or if they tried to order a meal in Russian and you were the waiter. The simple vocabulary of politeness will get you very far....

Les

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Oh....I know what you are all saying and I also agree. I will try to refresh my French. Though I have not been to Paris myself yet to make a judegment on my own but it seems that the French are particularly adverse to English. It may be anecdotal but I was once on a tour bus in another European capital and the guide asked if everyone spoke English or did he need to repeat everything in another language. Two people raised thier hands and demanded that he also explain everything in French.

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Maybe they didn%26#39;t speak much english and prefered to have the speach in french rather than to struggle with the translation. %26quot;Every french person speaks english and if (s)he doesn%26#39;t show it it%26#39;s bad will%26quot; is a myth

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I hope that I will be considerate in all countries that I travel and yes I lean hello, thank, please, and goodbye in each. In New York we meet people from all over the world and I have learned to say hello in about a dozen languages just to break the ice and be polite. Will my trip really be better if I say can bon jour and merci but still struggle with the waiter over the French word for sirloin steak or eggplant?

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Lotus...last time I was in Paris I was determined to order every meal in (bad) French. The nice waiter at one restaurant kept responding in English until he realized what I was doing, and only then did he speak to me in French. He was really nice,and ended up helping me pronounce some words...

For every story about a French person who refuses to speak English, I can guarantee you there%26#39;s another story like mine...

Which is one of the MANY reasons why, IMHO, it%26#39;s never a good thing to over-generalize about any natioanlity...

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Lotus, don%26#39;t worry. Conjugating irregular verbs is definitely not something you want to be worried about on vacation. However, a few key words and phrases accompanied by a smile should stand you in good stead.

It%26#39;s almost 40 years since I sat my French exams, so you can imagine how rusty I am now. However, once on French soil, the relaxation kicks in and I find I do still know a fair bit. It just flows - not perfect by any means but adequate.

So relax, enjoy and bonnes vacances.

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%26lt;%26lt;Two people raised thier hands and demanded that he also explain everything in French%26gt;%26gt; Probably Quebecers, lol. Many French are not English adverse, so much as they simply do not speak English.

As for your trip really being better, yes. Just as my trip to Monument Valley in AZ is going to be so much better for having learned the basics in Athabaskan. Part of the wonders of travel, those little personal exchanges.