The French language is
for me, one of the most beautiful in the world. It is fluid and melodic and
these qualities… this euphony…is considered one of its most important
characteristics. The French share
my enthusiasm for their mother tongue. They are proud of it…proud enough to
actually have an official body, called the Academie Française, whose job it is
to stand as sentinel against any perceived pollution of the language. These 40
people, who are appointed for life (thus they hold the title “les immortels”)
make decisions on grammar and usage, which words will be permitted into the
official language, what English words will not be allowed and what should
replace them. They direct the compilation of the official dictionary and have been
doing so since 1635. (In recent history, they’ve only allowed regular, or
simple, verbs that are all conjugated exactly the same way which is great news
for imbeciles like me!)) And luckily for me they are only safeguarding the written language because there is much more to it than that.
One of the funniest
things I’ve observed when watching and listening to French speakers is their
use of sounds, facial expressions and body movements. Of course, people of all
nationalities use them. But here in France, these seem more vigorous and distinct. Of course writing down what they sound
like is impossible and their exact meaning is even more difficult to discern
which is probably the reason “les immortels” have avoided the issue entirely! But les gestes français are considered important enough to be taught in French language classes and explained in detail on numerous internet sites.
