I stated on the beginning of the class that I am really into discovering characteristics between English and French. In some points they are pretty similar, and in some points quite different. So far, based on my surface understanding to both languages, I think that the major similarity between two languages can be seen in vocabularies, whereas the major distinction is within pronunciation and grammars. That is not a coincidence because French did influence English in early ages. In around 1066, French is the language mainly spoken by Norman court, government, and social elites. According to Laura.K.Lawless, nearly one third of current English vocabulary has French origin. Engaging this topic requires basic knowledge of both French and English. Luckily, I am already an English speaker myself. That means fields I need to be working in next is French pronunciation, grammars, idioms. Comparing with pronunciation and grammars, idioms may not seem as containing the same level of significance. However, I reckon idioms as a perfect medium that bridges two cultures. Words, pronunciation, and grammars can be different, but the same logic, mindsets can be found connected as long as those idioms display identical pattern of wording arrangement. For example, In English, we have “It’s not my cup of tea.” In French, it is “Ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé.” Both idioms convey the same meaning: a person or an object is not much liked by me. To make it easier for future research, I have created a compilation of basic words and grammars of my target language. That serves me as a source to refer back to while creating PPT slides. My current work is adding a new category, idiom, to the overall focus. Adjustments regarding the structure of my research will still be made in the future.
Replies