I've been taking French for 5 years and I still can't hold a simple conversation.
That's where I was at the beginning of the year. Last April, some members of my French class were lucky enough to visit Paris and Nice. I could read the menu, comprehend a description of a painting at Musée d'Orsay, but a simple conversation would completely elude me. I remember a family coming up to me and asking me where the Impressionist paintings were in the Louvre. I stumbled over a few words in French, then gave up and switched to English. They didn't understand and continued to be mildly lost in the stairwell. It was so frustrating and embarrassing.
This year, I was enrolled in AP French V. The capstone year. I was further along than my classmates, but I knew nothing about this year was going to magically make me understand and actually speak French. I hoped I could do better on my own, which is what I've been doing.
This year, I was enrolled in AP French V. The capstone year. I was further along than my classmates, but I knew nothing about this year was going to magically make me understand and actually speak French. I hoped I could do better on my own, which is what I've been doing.
Q1
A few weeks into the year, I dropped out of my regular French course and switched to Pilot French. I quickly got a mentor, (thanks to Karen Lieberman). His name is Scott Thompson. We meet twice a week for 1 hour to speak in French (sometimes a little English). And I was finally moving beyond my conversational block. It's been incredibly rewarding to be able to think, read, and write in French, even if it's just a little more than before. I am actively utilizing my French knowledge almost daily in a way I was not before.
poetry
Probably not the best choice to expose myself to confusing French metaphors right off the bat, but I've been enjoying myself. That's what matters. In quarter one, I've read Sous le pont Mirabeau (under the Mirabeau bridge), and La Cancre (the class dunce). I did rough translations of both poems, which I am looking to develop into proper translations in the future.
Le petit prince
This book is commonly read in the traditional AP French curriculum at my school. It's nostalgic for me because I watched the movie as a child. Despite being a children's book, the language is quite complex and difficult to understand. Each week, I've read about 2-3 chapters and described my findings to Scott. In the subsequent quarter, I hope to make something of whatever I discover reading the book. Or at least to improve my comprehension.
Emails
Each week, I've written two emails to Scott. About my weekend, a funny story, classical music, or what have you. Grammatically, they are not perfect, but the key is getting an idea across to the person you are talking to. And I think I have been doing a good job of doing that.
Q2
This quarter has been pretty similar to the last. I read, I write, I speak, I listen. I think I am getting better. A new and exciting addition was added to this quarter: translation. Here are a few of the poems I translated:
On the left is the French, and the right is the English translation I made. What was really interesting about these translations was when I finished a poem, I'd look at professional translations and see how they are similar and how they are different. Usually, they are more similar than different, but there is always a word choice or two that set the versions apart. That's the magic of translation: it imparts a footprint of someone's interpretation in the work.
On the left is the French, and the right is the English translation I made. What was really interesting about these translations was when I finished a poem, I'd look at professional translations and see how they are similar and how they are different. Usually, they are more similar than different, but there is always a word choice or two that set the versions apart. That's the magic of translation: it imparts a footprint of someone's interpretation in the work.
nuit d'etoilesNuit d’etoiles
Sous le voiles Sous la brise et tes parfums Triste lyre Qui soupire Je rêve aux amours défunts La sereine mélancolie Vient éclore au fond de mon coeur Et j’entends l’âme de ma mie Tressaillir dans le bois rêveur Je revois à notre fontaine Tes regards bleus comme les cieux Cette rose, c’est ton haleine Et ces étoiles sont tes yeux clair de luneVotre âme est un paysage choisi Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques Jouant le luth et dansent et quasi Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantastiques Tout en chantent sur le mode mineur L’amour vainqueur et la vie opportune Ils n’ont pas avoir l’air de croire à leur bonheur Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune Au calme clair de lune triste et beau Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres Et sangloter d’extase les jets d’eau Les grandes jets d’eau sveltes parmi les marbres |
night of starsNight of stars
Under your spell Under the breeze and your perfume Sad lyre Which sighs I dream with dead lovers The serene melancholy Come and open my heart And I listen to the soul of my sweet Quivering in the woods of daydreams I look at our fountain again Your eyes blue like the sky Your breath a rose And the stars your eyes moonlightYour soul is an envied scene Where graceful masks go Playing the lute and dancing and they are Sad under their divine disguises Singing in a minor key Vanquishing love and the finest life They don’t seem to understand their good fortune And their song is infused with moonlight In the haunting moonlight Which makes birds dream in the trees And the fountains sob ecstasy Their spouts of water smooth among marble statues |
Agnès Varda
My final work in French had to do with Agnès Varda, who made fictional films and documentaries. She preferred to make low budget films; she liked to do most of the filming herself outside the studio, with people she would meet along the way. I watched an extended interview where she talked about the films she made and her life around them. Then I proceeded to watch a film she created "Les glaneurs et la glaneuse". This film focused on a peculiar French law which allows the general public to 'glean' from leftover crops on private property. In my study, I primarily get to hear Scott speak (who is a non-native speaker). It is different to hear and comprehend a native versus a non native accent, so watching all of this content has familiarized my ear with native French, and more complex language.
Q3
Reading Gringoire!
I might've pushed myself a bit far with the reading this quarter. I read a play by Thèodore de Banville, which was Gringoire, a side character (un personnage secondaire) in Notre Dame de Paris, which in America is more commonly known by the name The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This play was really, really hard to read. One of my favorite phrases which came out of reading it was "vous avez gouté la miel sacre", or "you have tasted the sacred honey". It was a peculiar comedy. I don't know if reading this gave me more than general notions of the plot, but it made my future reading feel so much easier.
Reading Charlie et la chocolaterie
After fighting my way through Gringoire, this was a much more enjoyable read in all aspects. It's really cool to read because you can see the English behind the French, through the structure of the sentences, etc. This has been likely my most independent reading thus far, I usually have WordReference open to look up one or two words per page.
Watching Young Royals
I've finished nearly the entire season of Young Royals. When doing this, I usually sit down with my headphones on, Word Reference open, and I write down words and phrases of which I am unfamiliar. I usually finish the episode in one sitting.
Working with Scott
There has been a lot of the same in this section, however sometimes we end up texting each other in French, too:
I might've pushed myself a bit far with the reading this quarter. I read a play by Thèodore de Banville, which was Gringoire, a side character (un personnage secondaire) in Notre Dame de Paris, which in America is more commonly known by the name The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This play was really, really hard to read. One of my favorite phrases which came out of reading it was "vous avez gouté la miel sacre", or "you have tasted the sacred honey". It was a peculiar comedy. I don't know if reading this gave me more than general notions of the plot, but it made my future reading feel so much easier.
Reading Charlie et la chocolaterie
After fighting my way through Gringoire, this was a much more enjoyable read in all aspects. It's really cool to read because you can see the English behind the French, through the structure of the sentences, etc. This has been likely my most independent reading thus far, I usually have WordReference open to look up one or two words per page.
Watching Young Royals
I've finished nearly the entire season of Young Royals. When doing this, I usually sit down with my headphones on, Word Reference open, and I write down words and phrases of which I am unfamiliar. I usually finish the episode in one sitting.
Working with Scott
There has been a lot of the same in this section, however sometimes we end up texting each other in French, too:
I've decided to also include an email, so people know what that looks like. I most regularly send Scott 2 email weekly. I've written him almost 7000 words in French!
Bonjour Scott,
Je ne sais pas si vous aimez l'òpera, mais le début de Tristan et Isolde est vraiment magnifique. Des cordes jouent une mélodie avec des émotions fortes, et un apogée inoubliable. Des cordes conduisent la mélodie, mais de cuivres et le hautbois ajoutent un certain mystique et 'pizzaz' de la musique.
En plus de ça, je me sentais beaucoup mieux comparée à vendredi. Le représentation de théâtre est fixée pour demain; j'espère qu'il y n'a plus de problèmes entre maintenant et demain. Demain va être un jour vraiment long. Ce week-end aussi, j'aurai un autre festival de théâtre. Mes camarades de théâtre sont très bavards et bruyants dans le bus et tout autre temps. Il y a une rumeur d'un haut-parleur pour le bus. J'espère que mes écouteurs sont assez forts.
Alors, merci beaucoup pour votre temps!
Avery
Bonjour Scott,
Je ne sais pas si vous aimez l'òpera, mais le début de Tristan et Isolde est vraiment magnifique. Des cordes jouent une mélodie avec des émotions fortes, et un apogée inoubliable. Des cordes conduisent la mélodie, mais de cuivres et le hautbois ajoutent un certain mystique et 'pizzaz' de la musique.
En plus de ça, je me sentais beaucoup mieux comparée à vendredi. Le représentation de théâtre est fixée pour demain; j'espère qu'il y n'a plus de problèmes entre maintenant et demain. Demain va être un jour vraiment long. Ce week-end aussi, j'aurai un autre festival de théâtre. Mes camarades de théâtre sont très bavards et bruyants dans le bus et tout autre temps. Il y a une rumeur d'un haut-parleur pour le bus. J'espère que mes écouteurs sont assez forts.
Alors, merci beaucoup pour votre temps!
Avery