Parlez-vous Français?

Did you realise that 'abricot' comes from Arabic, 'amour' from Occitan and 'chic' is used in most European languages?

From 10th to 20th March 'Semaine de la Langue Française,' organised by the ministry of Culture and Communication in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Education,
will investigate the origins and aquisition of language, its diversity and its capacity to traverse languages world wide.

Ten words have been chosen to explore the vitality and diversity of language abricot, amour, bachi-bouzouk, bijou, bizarre, chic, clown, mètre, passe-partout, valser are words that enter languages, metamorphosis, integrate, transform and then move on.

Through these ten words, borrowed from other languages or bequeathed to other languages, the French Language Week will explore the role exchanges in the evolution of language, their effect on culture, identity, the construction of dialogue, the history of language and how it affects the history of man. The words were chosen for their capacity to assist in exploring origins and peregrination.

60% of the English language has its origins in French and in most cases it is just a matter of the pronunciation. Everyday language is littered with French words that people don't realise originate from French, chic, bizarre, art déco, fiancé(e), RSVP, cul de sac and others.

If you look here you will see what are known as 'faux amis,' words that look the same in French and English but have quite different meanings. When learning French these are words that would be very useful to learn!

The French Language Week and its initiatives are regional, national and international and provides a chance for people to celebrate the wealth and variety of the language with schools, libraries, businesses and local groups participating.

Semoewhere near you should be celebrating the French language and its importance in gloabal languages in the present day.