Chris Slade describes the son et lumiere presentation at the abbey of Bon Repos called "Le Pays de Conomor" in Brittany, which takes place during the first two weeks of August.
Nicola Harrington
France is a very proud nation. They are proud of their country, of their heritage and of their language.
The French take their holidays in France. I am not sure of the exact percentage, but I wouldn’t mind betting that at least 80% of the French take their holidays in France. I have been told on numerous occasions, ‘why should we take our holidays anywhere else, we have culture, some of the best beaches in the world, mountains for skiing and fabulous countryside.’ It is pretty hard to argue against this as it is all true!
The internet is making the world a smaller place, and English words are slowly creeping into the French language. Computer games and operating systems are increasingly in English and the younger generations are learning English without even realising it.
Yesterday, a friend called round for a coffee. Although I know she understands more English than she is prepared to admit we talk in French and she puts up with my appalling pronunciation and terrible conjugaison. Her mother is arriving soon and I ask when. ‘Dans 4 weeks, eh semaines.’ She looks at me shocked. ‘I have never said an English word in a French sentence before.’
Will France become a bilingual nation or will they resist?
EDITORS NOTE
My wife is French and I am British. We are both bilingual, and at home speak a language we call Franglais. Interestingly enough, neither of us is aware of it, as it is perfectly natural for us. This can cause interesting and sometimes funny situations when in company, either in France or in the UK, as people don’t always seem to understand what we are talking about!
My French wife and I watch quite a bit of French TV from the UK. It has been really noticeable over the past few years at just how many English words are being used by broadcasters and advertisers. This is presumably to appeal to young consumers who think it is ‘cool’ to drop English words into their sentences… even if it doesn’t sound cool to the English.
For some advertisers this is a dream – producing a single English language advert that will work well in France without the time and cost of having to shoot a French version too.
I guess this is how language naturally evolves anyway, but it does seem a shame that the French seem to be rapidly letting go of something that they fought long and hard up until a few years ago to keep hold of.