Why french people suck at speaking English ?
English

Why french people suck at speaking English ?

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language learning
cognitive science

I'll sign up for an English learning challenge recently. And several times, students or teachers speak on french people. French people suck at English. ok. French people don't like americans. Are you sure ? French people don't like german. Are you really sure ? and the last one but not the least : French people hate everyone. What do you think of that, Agnès ? well, I didn't know the challenge would be on how much self-control I can manifest ;).

I think stereotypes are simultaneously true and false. Do I despise a tourist when I cannot provide them with information in English ? maybe not and I 'm going to tell you why I speak such an awful English. I can't tell the Truth as a universal one, I can just tell you my own experience.

Physical determinism :

In a book, Jean-Marie Gillet explains french-native speakers have earing problems since they are born. The french babies are used to hear just the frequencies of french and this sound track is very little compared to other languages. So, we can't hear certain sounds. And it is our first difficulty when we want to maintain a conversation. understand your interlocutor. And so, we have an extra-work before even think of speaking.

After seven years learning English at school, I was unable to understand a simple conversation. I could hear Hello, thank you, a few words ... but it was like not distinguish ingredients on a plate.

France and its perfectionism :

Maybe it is because we have a catholic culture, we have to be perfect. And everyone give the perfection to a mute child. I think I spoke English during 5 minutes in all my studies. The only time I had the chance to speak longer was when I was stuck at the airport in Philadelphia and an american couple take care of me. I am grateful to them. So silence is perfection, but also, if you dare to speak, you will have to face the judgement of french people around you. Not just your classmates but also your teacher. The last english teacher I had wrote on my copy in french " you'd better learn french before even thinking of learning another language". Perfectionism and learning a language are in opposite ways. We learn making mistakes, Journally is the perfect example for that.

France and its fatalism :

Many friends of mine assume they can't learn English. It is a strong belief in the population. Some are too scared to misunderstand the interlocutor. Some believe that they can't understand a text because they don't know all the words. French is almost fixed, it is a holy thing. When you make a mistake in french, you commit a sin. And so it is for all the languages. With the perfectionism comes the fatalism. So you will not receive compliments because you do the effort to learn and to do mistakes. No encouragement here. On the contrary.

When I'll sign up the challenge, a friend of mine said to me "and you have nothing better to do ?"

No need to learn English :

At each session, the teacher used to ask the students the why, why do you learn English ? I'll summarize for you -> business, money, immigration.

They are in the need to learn English because it is the financial language. They don't mention travelling, or discovering the culture of english-speaking countries. The average french has no need to learn English. To be honest, I have not in the need to learn it or another language. When I reply " for the pleasure of it", teachers seem surprised. Yes my brain begin to hear those sounds, those famous sounds that I couldn't hear before and I'm happy with all these new vibrations. And also, I want to get out all the determinisms that I am here talking about.

Social determinism :

My parents come from the proletariat. And people from this social class, at this period of time, didn't imagine that you could have speak another language. It was implicit but speaking a foreign language was for wealthier social classes. So, even if I had the opportunity to learn English at school, I think that it required me to go beyond this social determinism and to be consciously unfaithful to my parents, to my bloodline. Not all the french have this problem. It is just for the children who have roots in the proletariat. But I think it is the majority because there are many people in the middle class now.

In provisionnal conclusion, when I connect on zoom to take my class, when I meet a english speaker on street, I have to fight all these determinisms, to allow myself to embrace the learning process. Most of french people don't despise you, guys, they are just scared and multi-determined by their history. I'm really sorry if you had a bad experience in France, but I hope some of you will testify the contrary.

photo: Dimitri Anikin - Invalides complex in Paris ( just a touch of humor )

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