the language barrier

Was reading another thread and it made me think of this. My french is schoolgirl french...............and yes it's a long time since I was a schoolgirl. I did make my daughter laugh and nearly fall over when trying to speak in french. If I couldn't remember the french word, I improvised by saying it in English, with a french accent. She still takes the p*** out of me about it. Anyone else have any other probs trying to converse with the locals on their ski hols :D

Interesting one Eljay. I know there of a number of multiple language speakers on J2ski, and it is just a guess, but I suspect that most would have their first secondary language as a result of learning at school.

I did seven years French at school. As a result, I can understand the language fairly well, but, because I haven't used it much, make more of speaking it than I ought to.

However, my German spreche is modestly strong, becauseI learned it just by speaking to Austrians, and from reading Deutsche grammer. Every winter sees an improvement. However, I suffer the opposite effect to French in struggling to understand some conversations, especially when they are technical, or dialect.

I don't see an issue with sticking in the missig word in English, but then checking that the word has been understood. If not, ask what is the correct word. In some cases your word will be correct, in others it will bring a query.

The main thing is to have a go. You can help yourself by watching French/German/etc TV.

:DHi Eljay...

Even though i have spent a lot of time in the french alps over the years, i always find it takes me a few days to get back into the swing (if still limited)of things....beer and genepi helps i find, in fact the most fluent conversation i have ever had in french with a local was new years eve in Bazoom's in Bourg ,we were both plastered and the language barrier seemed to just vanish...or maybe it just got lost in a haze of drink....

hic...hic....

jon.

Eljay wrote:Was reading another thread and it made me think of this. My french is schoolgirl french...............and yes it's a long time since I was a schoolgirl. I did make my daughter laugh and nearly fall over when trying to speak in french. If I couldn't remember the french word, I improvised by saying it in English, with a french accent. She still takes the p*** out of me about it. Anyone else have any other probs trying to converse with the locals on their ski hols :D

:lol:I know what you mean! I do the same thing when trying to speak to my friend from France..english with a french accent ha ha ha :lol:

Also when we hang out with our brit friends too long..we start to get a bad brit/canadian accent...quite funny! :oops: :lol:

I'm pretty much bilingual, at least I can order a beer in five languages :mrgreen:

Hi Eljay,
My French used to be like yours. I did French O'Level at the age of 15, over 30 years ago.

We were ski-ing in La Rosiere last year, at Easter, and we wanted lessons morning and afternoon. The afternoon lessons are only in French. So I asked my daughter if she could cope with that and she said O.K. She ended up in a French speaking lesson in the afternoon, but the teacher could actually speak very good English, so she'd give her a summary in English, and all went well.

I ended up in a French speaking afternoon class with a teacher (who was very nice) but with practically no English. And I got very frustrated with myself, because I'd forgotten a lot of my French. I spent my spare time back in our flat studying French vocab and grammar ready for the next lesson. I was ski-ing in an English speaking class in the morning, which helped, because I was basically learning the same things, in English in the morning and in French in the afternoon. It was great fun but very challenging.

So, when we came back I decided to go to adult French classes, and I've been going ever since. I now do 3 hours per week. They do say that learning a foreign language helps to prevent senile dementia, and seeing as I've reached the point where I can't remember where I've parked the car, what I walked into the kitchen for etc. it seems like a good idea all round.

Dave Mac - I'm most impressed that you can speak French, German, and English. Congratulations.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Hi Eljay,
My French used to be like yours. I did French O'Level at the age of 15, over 30 years ago.

We were ski-ing in La Rosiere last year, at Easter, and we wanted lessons morning and afternoon. The afternoon lessons are only in French. So I asked my daughter if she could cope with that and she said O.K. She ended up in a French speaking lesson in the afternoon, but the teacher could actually speak very good English, so she'd give her a summary in English, and all went well.

I ended up in a French speaking afternoon class with a teacher (who was very nice) but with practically no English. And I got very frustrated with myself, because I'd forgotten a lot of my French. I spent my spare time back in our flat studying French vocab and grammar ready for the next lesson. I was ski-ing in an English speaking class in the morning, which helped, because I was basically learning the same things, in English in the morning and in French in the afternoon. It was great fun but very challenging.

So, when we came back I decided to go to adult French classes, and I've been going ever since. I now do 3 hours per week. They do say that learning a foreign language helps to prevent senile dementia, and seeing as I've reached the point where I can't remember where I've parked the car, what I walked into the kitchen for etc. it seems like a good idea all round.

Dave Mac - I'm most impressed that you can speak French, German, and English. Congratulations.

Ally

Nobody likes a smart Ar** :mrgreen:

Skidaddle speaks European. Its the same words and accent wherever he goes. It kind of works. He can order and coffee and a snickers anywhere in the alps. And grapefruit.