PARIS III
Before traveling to a foreign country, many people think about the need to learn the basic set of words and phrases of the language spoken by the majority of country's population. After all, learning the language will allow you to plunge into the culture of the country and feel the whole atmosphere of it – from cuisine and music to traditions and the unspoken subtleties. Those were also my thoughts when I prepared for my departure to France for my exchange semester abroad. However, I didn’t have the problem of having to talk “with hands and feet” at the beginning, since being native Spanish speaker, I found lots of similarities in these two beautiful languages.
Spanish is spoken by around 570 million people around the globe and France is one of more than 25 countries where the official language is French, spoken by round about 300 million. Both of these languages have their origins in the Romance language – Latin. How similar they are one can see by the examples of such words as “country” – in Spanish país” and in French “pays” or “Bon voyage” in French and “Buen viaje” in Spanish. Hence, at the
beginning and for simple matters of daily life, I could go by with the limit knowledge of French I acquired before taking off to Paris and my Spanish.
However, I soon learned there are also different words, that you can’t make it out just by relaying on your knowledge of Spanish language’s: For example, as I offered to my fellow students “caramelos”, no one understood what I was talking about, since candys in French are “bonbons”. Another significant difference in French is the written versus spoke language. Spanish is a phonetic language, that is, it is written as it is pronounced. This is totally different in French. I am still marveling how can written “Monsieur” turn in a spoken something like “Misoe”. In Spanish is it spoken like written: Señor.
So, French and Spanish, although in parts similar, nevertheless are more like cousins than siblings and to feel comfortable in the country I decided to get to know my “cousins” a bit more. So, beside the course offered at the University that I attend, I also booked a tandem with a French native speaker. This turned out to be a great opportunity to learn not just the language, but also more of the culture, outlook of life and things that are important for a life in Paris. I really believe that the best way to learn a language is when you get surround yourself with some locals.
Insights that I am going to take with me for my future life is for one, to always look out for similarities and things that the matter has in common to see if you can connect with. This was the case with Spanish and French languages – by looking at the roots of many words, I could often figure out pretty much the meaning of the subject. Look for similarities in culture, languages, business approaches – it will definitely help you to get connected and opens quickly some closed doors.
Have said that another insight that I learned is, although two things may have much in common and share lots of similarities, nevertheless each is unique and should be approached with respect and dignity. Just because Spanish is so similar to French language, it does not mean it’s the same. There are a lot of words and expressions, that have a different (cultural) background or meaning, that you should be aware of. Hence, what I learned is, not to take similarities for granted, but look deeply behind it to grasp the whole picture.
Finally, I would like to add that to learn the language spoken in the country you are visiting is very important for an easier integration in the society. It will be alite bit hard at the beginning but with the time and practice the language will come easy.
Alejandro Rosales Romo