Archive for 'Culture'
Hugs & Kisses from France Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 2, 2021
I went down a little bit of a rabbit hole this week after I realized that the French word embrasser – which I’ve always known to mean kiss – literally means to take in one’s arms (see the word bras/arm right there in the word!). And when you dig in a bit, there’s a lot more to hugs &…
Les textos en français Posted by Bridgette on Oct 22, 2021
Les textos en français – Texts in French A few weeks back Tim posted a blog all about emojis in French. This week I want to talk about les textos en français. For some, text slang may be a nuisance that’s ‘ruining the language’ but some may argue that modern online conversations require quick and…
AOP’s vs. Nutri-Score Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 19, 2021
I came across a story for all you foodies out there – a news story especially of interest to those of you (us!) who love to eat but also care about your health. Discussions set to be held today (mardi, 19 octobre, 2021) will pit some of Europe’s most recognized AOP’s against a European-wide Nutri-Score…
At the French zoo Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 12, 2021
Not everyone is down with zoos these days. But for some people, a well-run local parc zoologiqueis the closest that they will ever come to seeing and learning about different animaux. Since 1934, Parisians have been able to experience a variety of animaux sauvages by visiting the Parc Zoologique de Vincennes (commonly known as the zoo de…
Chanson d’automne Posted by Bridgette on Oct 8, 2021
Bonjour! C’est l’automne! Fall is officially here, and as such I’d like to share one of the best known poems in the French language; Chanson d’automne (Autumn Song) by Paul Verlaine. Published in 1866 in Verlaine’s first collection Poèmes saturniens, using the symbolism of fall, it is a sad and melancholic view on growing old…
Emojis in French Posted by Tim Hildreth on Oct 5, 2021
Whether you call them pictogramme, émoticône ou smiley you’ve surely seen them … and probably used them. They’re not just for SMS any more having made their way onto Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even into des courriels/mails au bureau Emojis in French A recent article got me thinking about emojis in French. As is often…
Fallen for France Posted by Tim Hildreth on Sep 28, 2021
Once again, the calendar has turned towards l’automne. Days are getting cooler (and shorter!) and soon les feuilles vont commencer à tomber des arbres. Before we leave l’été completely behind though, let’s revisit one more great summer song. Fallen for France I’ve said it before, Étienne Daho’s Tombé pour la France is “the first French…