French language week

LA Semaine de la Langue Française is an annual event and this year runs from March 14 to 24.

Under the auspices of the Délégation Générale à la Langue Française et aux Langues de France (DGLFLF), this year's theme is covered by ten words which are to do with meeting and coming together.

These particular words have been chosen to promote and emphasise the role language plays in interaction between people and dialogue between them.

It is hoped people will be encouraged and inspired to use these ten words create their own events.

The ten words chosen as the theme for 2008 are:

Apprivoiser: To tame
Boussole: Compass
Jubilatoire: Happy/exhilarated
Palabre: Discuss endlessly/negotiations
Passerelle: Footbridge
Rhizome: To set down roots
S'attabler: To sit at/around the table
Tact: Tact
Toi: You
Visage: Face

In 2008 almost 70 municipalities and communities have committed themselves to becoming partners in La Semaine de la Langue Française, a special programme of of events which will include the schools, cultural associations, commerce and workshops.

The participating towns will present an exhibition on Les mots de la recontre in conjunction with
DGLFLF and in collaboration with Cultures France and editions of Le Robert.

In this week devoted to the French language, the municipalities have the opportunity to promote the language with associations such as libraries and schools to emphasise the importance of languages.

The Délégation Générale à la Langue Française et aux Langues de France are keen to promote the use of French in all mediums of life in France, to the point of ensuring consumer information, like instructions, are in French.

They also coordinate work carried out by terminology committees when new words are required to express new concepts. It is not always as easy as choosing 'souris' for a computer mouse as sometimes it involves finding a new meaning not just a new word.

A chosen word then has to be approved by Académie Française and published in the Journal Officiel.

Words that have originated in such a way are logicel (software), puce (microchip), baladeur (personal stereo) and courriel (e-mail).

All French bodies are expected to use the words that are agreed, but with the liberty of expression, that has been in place since 1789, a private citizen who uses a word like mouse instead of souris will not be arrested!

A worry is that when French people use 'imported' English words because they sound fashionable or 'cool', they do so without even knowing the meaning. But, on the other hand many French words have been adopted into the English language.

Some foreign words used are a fad which, after a while are evolved into a French word. Words are adopted and either disappear from the language or are changed as language is a living medium that is forever evolving.

Also included in the week is la Journée Internationale de la Francophonie which, since its introduction in 1990, has been celebrated on March 20 throughout the world.
So, hopefully wherever you are you should find an event.

The DGLFLF would like people to learn French through various mediums. One which is promoted on their site is Mission Europe, where there are a series of episodes that work through different situations.

Another medium they promote is learning through song. Langues de France en Chansons takes you on a tour around France to listen to experience the music of various regions in their own dialect.

For younger people the BBC have a primary French website which gives them the opportunity to learn through games. This is a site I use with my grandchildren to complement their everyday French at school.