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French - Learn to speak - audio cd book - language learning |
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French is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 350 million people around the world as either a native or a second language, with significant populations in 54 countries.
French is a descendant of the Latin of the Roman Empire, as are languages such as Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Romanian, and Portuguese. Its development was also influenced by the native Celtic languages of Roman Gaul and by the Germanic language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders.
It is an official language in 31 countries, most of which form what is called in French La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organisations.
Per the Constitution of France, French has been the official language since 1992 (although previous legal texts have made it official since 1539, see ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts). France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education outside of specific cases (though these dispositions are often ignored) and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words
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For the period up to around 1300, some linguists refer to the oïl languages collectively as Old French (ancien français). The earliest extant text in French is the Oaths of Strasbourg from 842; Old French became a literary language with the chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades.
By the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539 King Francis I made French the official language of administration and court proceedings in France, ousting the Latin that had been used before then. With the imposition of a standardised chancery dialect and the loss of the declension system, the dialect is referred to as Middle French (moyen français). The first grammatical description of French, the Tretté de la Grammaire française by Louis Maigret, was published in 1550. Many of the 700 words of modern French that originate from Italian were introduced in this period, including several denoting artistic concepts (scenario, piano), luxury items, and food.
Following a period of unification, regulation and purification, the French of the 17th to the 18th centuries is sometimes referred to as Classical French (français classique), although many linguists simply refer to French language from the 17th century to today as Modern French (français moderne).
The foundation of the Académie française (French Academy) in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu created an official body whose goal has been the purification and preservation of the French language. This group of 40 members is known as the Immortals, not, as some erroneously believe, because they are chosen to serve for the extent of their lives (which they are), but because of the inscription engraved on the official seal given to them by their founder Richelieu—"À l'immortalité" ("to the Immortality (of the French language)"). The foundation still exists and contributes to the policing of the language and the adaptation of foreign words and expressions. Some recent modifications include the change from software to logiciel, packet-boat to paquebot, and riding-coat to redingote. The word ordinateur for computer was however not created by the Académie, but by a linguist appointed by IBM
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, France was the leading power of Europe; thanks to this, together with the influence of the Enlightenment, French was the lingua franca of educated Europe, especially with regards to the arts, literature, and diplomacy; monarchs like Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia could both speak and write in French.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the French language established itself permanently in the Americas. There is an academic debate about how fluent in French were the colonists of New France. While a minority of colonists (mostly women) were from the region of Paris (approximately 20% of all colonists), most of them came from northern and western regions of France where French was not the primary language natively spoken by its inhabitants. It is not clearly known, however, how many among those colonists understood French as a second language, and how many among them – who, in overwhelming majority, natively spoke an oïl language – could understand, and be understood by, those who speak French thanks to interlinguistic similarity. In any case, a linguistic unification of all the groups coming from France happened (either in France, on the ships, or in "Canada") such that, according to many sources, the then "Canadiens" were all speaking French natively by the end of the 17th century, well before the unification was complete in France. Today, French is the language of about 10 million people (not counting French-based creoles) in the Americas.
Through the Académie, public education, centuries of official control and the role of media, a unified official French language has been forged, but there remains a great deal of diversity today in terms of regional accents and words. For some critics, the "best" pronunciation of the French language is considered to be the one used in Touraine (around Tours and the Loire River valley), but such value judgments are fraught with problems, and with the ever increasing loss of lifelong attachments to a specific region and the growing importance of the national media, the future of specific "regional" accents is often difficult to predict. The French nation-state, which appeared after the 1789 French Revolution and Napoleon's empire, unified the French people in particular through the consolidation of the use of the French language. Hence, according to historian Eric Hobsbawm, "the French language has been essential to the concept of 'France', although in 1789 50% of the French people didn't speak it at all, and only 12 to 13% spoke it 'fairly' - in fact, even in oïl language zones, out of a central region, it wasn't usually spoken except in cities, and, even there, not always in the faubourgs [approximatively translatable to "suburbs"]. In the North as in the South of France, almost nobody spoke French." Hobsbawm highlighted the role of conscription, invented by Napoleon, and of the 1880s public instruction laws, which allowed to mix the various groups of France into a nationalist mold which created the French citizen and his consciousness of membership to a common nation, while the various "patois" were progressively eradicated.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 30 January 2011 10:49 |
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french news
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Betancourt returning to Colombia soon to write play
Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt said in an interview she would return to Colombia "in a few days" to write a play about her experience after being held in the jungle for six years.
Earlier the 46-year-old former hostage, who was freed during the week, said she had been given a clean bill of health after seven hours of medical tests at a Paris military hospital.
Ms Betancourt told Le Journal du Dimanche:
"I shall return to Colombia in a few days. Meanwhile I want to see France, all of France. But I also want to be alone with my children ... I want to give this time to my family, to the father of my children whom I adore, who fought an extraordinary fight for me."
Asked whether she would write a book about her experience, she replied: "I'll write a play."
After her tests Saturday at the Val-de-Grace hospital, she told France 3 television: "The doctors showered me with good news. I have had a number of concerns all these years. Now, I'm totally happy."
She said she was "very, very surprised" not to have any physical side-effects after more than six years of captivity in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
"The spirit helps you to carry on," said Betancourt, who has often spoken of her Catholic faith and of a "spiritual protection."
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Sport
French forwards Renaud Boyoud and Imanol Harinordoquy have been suspended for three weeks after brawling with rival players during the team's record 40-10 loss to the Wallabies on Saturday.
Both players pleaded guilty to striking charges laid at a disciplinary hearing on Sunday.
Tighthead prop Boyoud and flanker Harinordoquy were found guilty of punching Wallabies second-rower James Horwill in separate instances, during a melee in the 28th minute of the first half.
"[Harinordoquy threw] Deliberate and repeated blows to the head and face of the Australian number four (Horwill)," English judicial officer Christopher Quinlan said.
"[Boyoud only struck once but] It was a significant blow, struck from behind."
Horwill did not return to the field after the brawl, which left him with a bloodied and with a sealed eye.
X-rays later showed that Horwill did not have a fractured eye socket.
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Sport
Australia's rugby union coach Robbie Deans believes the Wallabies are well placed to launch a Tri-Nations assault against South Africa and New Zealand.
Speaking after Australia completed its preparations with a 40-10 thrashing of France in Brisbane on Saturday night , Deans said the Wallabies had shown steady improvement since he took the reins from John Connolly.
"Each week we are taking steps and making some progress," said Deans, who now boasts a 3-0 record in charge following wins against France and Ireland.
"We're very conscious that the next arena will be very different. It will be another level, there's no doubt about that, but the guys are ready for that."
The Australians are unbeaten in those three matches, defeating Ireland 18-12 in Melbourne then France 34-13 last weekend.
But Saturday's Test was easily the Wallabies' most impressive performance so far.
Their forwards set up the platform for the new scrum-base partnership of fly half Matt Giteau and scrum half Luke Burgess to combine effectively.
Giteau kicked eight goals from as many attempts and had a hand in each of Australia's four tries, two by replacement centre Ryan Cross and one each from wing Peter Hynes and lock James Horwill.
- Back to basics -
"I think that as a side we just went back to basics tonight. We played a simpler game plan and that's what works best for us," Giteau said.
"There's no doubt we're starting to get a lot more cohesion now."
While Deans was reluctant to put too much emphasis on the result because the French were not at full strength, he said the match was still a very physical test.
Reserve full-back Cameron Shepherd broke his left leg while Horwill (eye) and inside centre Berrick Barnes (shoulder) were both taken to hospital for scans.
"They've (France) had a long season," Deans said. "I think they're looking forward to their vacation.
"But whilst the French are looking forward to going home they still make you earn it... which is shown by the casualty list."
France coach Marc Lievremont was forced to name a relatively inexperienced team for the match after most of the country's top players stayed at home due to club commitments.
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Sport
Former French international footballer Eric Cantona inaugurated a football stadium named after him in the French town of Tignes overnight, local authorities said.
French champions Lyon train at the facility, as do the French national team, but it recently underwent a facelift and former Manchester United hero Cantona was on hand to open the renovated ground.
The turf has also been relaid, staff said, with Lyon currently in town to prepare for the new season.
Cantona, 42, was in Tignes for his Euro Beach Soccer tournament which he runs with brother Joel, with the Savoy resort hosting an annual event.
The temperamental Cantona played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Nimes before helping propel Leeds United to the English title in 1992.
He then left for Manchester United the following season and in five years at Old Trafford was an inspirational figure in United's rise back to the top of the English game.
Cantona, who won 45 caps for France but was not included in their 1998 World Cup-winning squad, launched a new career as an actor following retirement along with his beach soccer franchise.
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Sport
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde drew first blood in his bid to win the 2008 Tour de France overnight by pulling on the yellow jersey for the first time after a chaotic opening stage.
Valverde, riding for Caisse d'Epargne, punched his way past Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen late on the final climb leading to the uphill finish of the 197.5-kilometre stage to claim just his second stage win on the race.
The 28-year-old Spaniard now has a one-second overall lead over Australia's yellow jersey favourite Cadel Evans, who finished sixth on a stage where all the favourites were desperate to stay near the front.
Kirchen had given his newly-named Garmin team the chance of a dream start to the Tour when he attacked late on the 1.7-km Cadoudal climb in a bid to counter Germany's Stefan Schumacher.
However, the Luxemburger, one of several outsiders for this year's yellow jersey, was stunned by Valverde's late charge on the Brest to Plumelec stage.
As Kirchen rounded a final bend and prepared for the last 200-metre dash for the line, the Spaniard closed a 100m gap in a matter of seconds and flew past him.
Kirchen was eventually pushed down to fourth by Belgian Philippe Gilbert, who came second, and Frenchman Jerome Pineau, who finished third.
Valverde is considered one of the best at winning the hilly races that finish on an incline, a fact the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic champion was quick to confirm.
"The stage suited me perfectly," said the Spaniard, whose last stage win on the race goes back to his 10th stage victory at Courchevel in the Alps in 2005.
"At the end it was a case of calculating the distance and the timing, and I got it right."
At this early stage of the race the yellow jersey will weigh heavily on Valverde's shoulders.
Defending it, he says, is not going to be a priority.
"It's a bit early to be taking the jersey. It's great for me and the team but we won't be taking any unnecessary risks," he said.
"The most important thing is to have it in Paris."
- No prologue -
For the first time since 1967 the world's biggest race did not kick off with a time trial prologue, with organisers determined to shake up the first week and get the yellow jersey race going as quickly as possible.
With the first stage passing through the home town of France's last winner, Bernard Hinault, in 1985, it took only 2km for one of French riders to attack.
Lilian Jegou's break was soon followed by seven other riders, and they went on to build a maximum lead of just over eight minutes, at the 29km mark, before the peloton decided to react.
Valverde's Caisse d'Epargne team played a vital role in the chase, helping to halve their deficit by the time they had passed through the feed zone at the halfway stage.
Sniffing their fate, it was soon to be every man for himself at the front as the peloton closed the gap to 3:15 with 55km to race.
Jegou and Spaniard David de la Fuente then pulled away at the front, but they were reeled in with 7.5km to go and from then on it was chaos as the race's punchers and yellow jersey men fought to get to the front.
Jegou later picked up the jersey for being the most aggressive rider on the day, conceding that their eight-minute lead was never going to be enough.
"We would have had to have a lead of 10-15 minutes to get to the finish without being caught," said the Francaise des Jeux rider.
"At the end it was really tough. The peloton just decided to reel us in, and we didn't have any help with the wind conditions."
Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who was part of the eight-man break, picked up the polka dot jersey for the race's best climber.
Francaise des Jeux rider Gilbert will wear the green jersey - but only because the points competition leader Valverde is in yellow.
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Sport
Matt Giteau starred as Australia outclassed the French 40-10 in the second Test at Lang Park, making it a clean sweep of the series and recording its biggest win against France.
The fly-half did not score a try but was instrumental in all four and had a perfect night with the boot to continue Australia's preparations for the Tri-Nations in fine fashion.
Ryan Cross scored a brace in the second half to add to Peter Hynes's and James Horwill's efforts in the first half, as the home side took advantage of a French side that did not look at the top of its game.
Chabal's powerful hit on Hynes in the first half was one of only a few signs of toughness from the visiting side, who were dominated by a forward pack featuring the inexperienced second-row combination of Horwill and Dean Mumm.
The win made it three from three for coach Robbie Deans, and captain Stirling Mortlock says the team is working hard to make sure it is at full strength for the Tri-Nations.
"I think it was an improvement from last week, but look at our bench there are a fair few injuries," he told Channel Seven after the match.
"We take a lot of pride in our defence and I think that showed tonight," he said.
"The effort and the work rate of the forwards tonight was brilliant."
- Giteau show -
After slotting an early penalty Giteau floated a superb cross-field kick into the waiting arms of Peter Hynes on the right-hand side to give the home side its first try of the evening.
The Wallabies put consistent pressure on an unimpressive French side, and Giteau took advantage of a number of penalties to extend the lead.
Horwill silenced the doubters who suggested his pairing with Mumm would struggle, collecting a sublime flick pass from Giteau in the 37th minute to cross next to the posts for his second Test try.
But his joy would have evaporated a minute later when he was penalised for coming in late to a ruck, sparking a ferocious melee that left him with a severely swollen left eye. The injury forced him to sit out the second half.
The Australians looked impatient in the early stages of the second half, and stuttering attacking moves were let down with simple skill errors and bad decision-making.
But that turned around when Cross scored on the hour mark soon after coming off the bench, running through a gap at inside centre after a flat pass from Giteau and outpacing the French defence to touch down on the right-hand side.
France was left vulnerable when Benjamin Boyet was yellow carded for a late tackle in the 64th minute and Cross completed his double three minutes later with an easy finish after the Wallabies had laid siege to the French line.
Benjamin Thiery made a scintillating run down the left-hand wing in the final minute, passing inside to Francois Trinh-Duc who scored underneath the posts to give the tourists some consolation.
The Wallabies will sweat on the fitness of Cameron Shepherd and Berrick Barnes, who picked up knee and shoulder injuries respectively.
Wallabies: 40 (R Cross 2, J Horwill, P Hynes tries; M Giteau 4 conversions; Giteau 4 penalties.)
France: 10 (F Trinh-Duc try; D Yashvili conversion; Trinh-Duc penalty.)
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Betancourt set for medical after hero's welcome in France
Freed Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt faced a day of medical tests in Paris on Saturday (local time) after receiving a hero's welcome following her six-year hostage ordeal, as video footage was released of her dramatic rescue.
Snatched from the grip of Marxist FARC rebels in a Colombian army operation Wednesday, along with three US hostages and 11 Colombians, Ms Betancourt arrived in France on Friday on board a French presidential plane from Bogota.
After being feted by President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace, the 46-year-old former Colombian presidential candidate, who also has French nationality, was to spend Saturday undergoing an in-depth medical examination at a military hospital in Paris.
Though she told reporters she felt "in great shape," she developed a string of ailments while in captivity, possibly including hepatitis.
On her arrival at Villacoublay airbase outside Paris, Ms Betancourt walked smiling down the stairs of the plane to embrace Mr Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni, waiting to welcome her to her second home.
"I am so happy to breathe the air of France. I owe France everything," she told the crowd waiting to welcome her.
"I have shed a great many tears of pain and indignation. Today I am crying with joy," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "You saved my life."
"Ingrid Betancourt, welcome. France loves you," Mr Sarkozy told her.
Ms Betancourt paid a personal tribute to the French president, who made her release a top priority, as "this extraordinary man who fought so hard for me."
"This extraordinary, perfect operation by the Colombian army... is also the result of your struggle," she said, explaining that France staunchly opposed any armed "military operation that would put the hostages' lives in danger."
A video showing hostages angry and resigned at having their hands bound, and then minutes later sobbing with jubilation aboard a helicopter upon discovering they had been freed, was shown on Friday for the first time by Colombia military.
The video of FARC rebels benignly handing over the 15 hostages to disguised Colombian commandos was released to counter questions about the military's dramatic and bloodless coup, Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos said.
The video shows the unarmed, disguised Colombian commandos binding the hands of the hostages with plastic cuffs, as one hostage, a Colombian soldier, angrily scolds the fake guerrillas for his treatment.
Once aboard the disguised military helicopter, the video shows Ms Betancourt and others reacting in surprise and breaking out in tears after the cuffs were removed and the soldiers revealed themselves.
"This is absolutely false," Mr Santos told reporters, when asked about reports that $US20 million had been paid as ransom, and that it was all arranged in advance with a rebel commander in charge of the hostages.
Ms Betancourt was accompanied on the flight to Paris by her daughter Melanie, 22, and son Lorenzo, 19.
Speaking at the reception with her supporters at the Elysee palace, she urged Mr Sarkozy to keep working to free the hundreds of other hostages still held by Colombia's FARC rebels, Latin America's most powerful left-wing insurgency.
"Let it be clear, we will continue," the French president replied.
Paris is where Ms Betancourt grew up, studied and raised her family. Her children had waged a relentless campaign for their mother's release, making her a cause celebre in France.
Ms Betancourt said in a radio interview she had been chained up night and day for three years by her captors.
Asked whether she was tortured, she replied: "Yes, yes." She said she saw her captors lapsing into "diabolical behaviour."
"It was so monstrous that I think they themselves were disgusted," she said.
Later thousands of people watched as Ms Betancourt took down a poster of her face displayed on the Paris Town Hall during her captivity.
A fervent Catholic who called her release a "miracle of the Virgin Mary," Ms Betancourt has also been invited to meet Pope Benedict XVI.
"It is a meeting that one cannot pass up," she told AFP.
The Colombian army rescue mission was a huge triumph in President Alvaro Uribe's long battle against the leftist rebels.
A news outlet close to FARC said on Thursday the group would be open to peace talks with the Uribe government.
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EU to send mission after Philippines ferry disaster
The European Union is to send a mission of experts to investigate toxic chemicals on board a Philippine ferry which sank carrying more than 850 people, French officials said.
The Princess of the Stars remains stricken off the central Philippines after sinking in a typhoon on June 21.
The upturned wreckage is thought to contain hundreds of dead bodies along with an illegal consignment of toxic pesticides.
Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie decided after discussions with the foreign and european affairs ministries that an EU "mission of expertise and support" should be sent immediately, a statement said.
France currently holds the presidency of the European Union.
While tests showed waters have not been contaminated with the endosulfan pesticide, there was concern containers could corrode allowing the chemical to leach and contaminate the area. Officials in the Philippines said this week that the ferry would be refloated, ditching a bid to use divers to retrieve the bodies and chemicals.
"The potential danger to marine life is a major factor in the decision" to refloat the vessel, a coast guard biologist, who asked not to be named, said.
The EU mission would include experts on sea pollution and chemical risks, the French statement said.
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