Hi everyone,
It's been a while, as is a phrase that is uttered far too often on this thing. I've been busy - finishing term, doing exams and fitting in the odd social engagement in between.
The weather in Tours is gorgeous at the moment, it must be 20 degrees today, if not more. I'm very glad it's the end of term and I have a two week break, or my concentration levels in classes would be rock bottom as I would find myself unable to stop thinking about the ice cream, pavement cafes, friends and maybe a demi of blonde that would soon be mine for the taking. Good times all round then.
It's been a good week in general, for reasons that I am about to explain. It seems that Christmas has come early for me this week, as I received 3 care packages from 3 friends (and another one from myself). Not bad at all. It is the year abroad that has really taught me the value of friends. That is not to say, of course, that my friends were not valued at all before I did this crazy thing, but I certainly appreciate them more now. Friends are there to listen to your moans about homesickness and to supply you with honey and welsh cakes if ever you should need them. I had this irrational fear of being forgotten about as others learned to build their lives without me - which has certainly not been the case. Care packages have to be one of the perks of a year abroad, as well as being one of the most essential means of survival. I've got so much tea now, it's great - I'll certainly get through it all too!
I've been thinking though, and I guess this is just one of the main parts of how learning a language and living abroad make you question the world a bit. While mired in the depths of homesickness, one of the thoughts that popped into my head was how sick I was of pronouncing my name in a stupidly exaggerated French accent just so that people can actually write it down. My view on this is that it's a bit insulting - my name is my name, I pronounce your name correctly, or at least try to - why can't you make the same effort? Another thing on a related note is how annoyed I get by non-English, but anglophone, people pronounce "France" - instead of "Frahh-nce" (which is arguably closer to the French pronunciation of it) they pronounce it "Fraa-ntz". Yes, I am being a complete and utter snob when I say this, I make no bones about this. I will confess my belief here that when something is not pronounced correctly, it suggests to me a lack of comprehension of the subject. For example, I saw Chicago the other weekend, which was sung entirely in French, and it was fantastic. My only niggle was that the French mispronounced "Roxy Hart". This riled me no end. Sure, I understand that the French like to make many things their own, but given that the musical is called Chicago, they should at least honour the American pronunciation. It is rare that you will hear me say that too - I am a purist and consider British English and American English to be entirely separate languages.
A biscuit is NOT a cookie. They are two different things in British English. And a macaroon is certainly not a "cookie". It's a macaroon, it exists of itself. Calling it a cookie cheapens it. Colour has a "u" in it. (I'm just saying).
But then it hit me.
What does it mean to be correct, anyway? Correct here suggests to me that which has become culturally appropriated.
For example, It's not wrong in American English to say "the hospital" and "a couple things" - eg. "I took him to the hospital, he has a couple things wrong with his kidneys". This is fine in American English - in society anyway.
However, this is wrong in British English, due to the need for a preposition "a couple OF things" and the unnecessary use of the definitive article - "the" hospital would suggests that only one exists. Maybe it does. But I would be inclined to ask "which" one. In British English, we say "I took him to hospital, he has a couple of things wrong with his kidneys". Hospital here is less defined and more conceptual. One is still inclined to ask "which" hospital, so neither is more correct - it is just a question of what has become culturally adopted and accepted. Two different interpretations of the same thing and nothing more.
As for my name, it is a tough one. You could argue that I am being xenophobic by resenting that people who have another mother tongue to mine pronounce it differently. I mean, of course they will - they will pronounce it according to their own linguistic patterns. They don't do it on purpose just to insult me, it's not another symptom of their expectation for me to conform to their culture as I live in their country. Perhaps you are right. You could also argue though that they are equally guilty by not respecting that I am a foreigner in their country, so do not respect that I speak a foreign language to them. It could be argued that they think their language is superior, or that I think my own is superior. Again, both are probably right.
I'll give you my view on this one though.
American English and British English are different languages. If I were in America, I would speak American English (as far as my knowledge of it stretched - it'd take a lot of mental effort to get myself out of the habit of saying "trousers" for example).
In England, I speak British English.
In France, I speak French. To a French person, I would pronounce their name as a French person might as a sign of respect.
In France, I pronounce my own name as I would in England, contradictory though this is to my previous point. It is my name, therefore I will keep it as such. It is a Welsh surname that has already been pretty slaughtered by the English anyway.
I find it rather sad that friends from countries such as China and South Korea have been forced to adopt an English name in order to make their lives more simple when heading westwards - why can't we make the effort to call people by their names, even when they are linguistically different from our own?
The golden rule of translation is that you never translate the name of someone or something - eg. Downing Street is always Downing Street. It's never "rue Downing". Everything else, you can translate. This is my view on the pronunciation of individual names also.
It's been a while, as is a phrase that is uttered far too often on this thing. I've been busy - finishing term, doing exams and fitting in the odd social engagement in between.
The weather in Tours is gorgeous at the moment, it must be 20 degrees today, if not more. I'm very glad it's the end of term and I have a two week break, or my concentration levels in classes would be rock bottom as I would find myself unable to stop thinking about the ice cream, pavement cafes, friends and maybe a demi of blonde that would soon be mine for the taking. Good times all round then.
It's been a good week in general, for reasons that I am about to explain. It seems that Christmas has come early for me this week, as I received 3 care packages from 3 friends (and another one from myself). Not bad at all. It is the year abroad that has really taught me the value of friends. That is not to say, of course, that my friends were not valued at all before I did this crazy thing, but I certainly appreciate them more now. Friends are there to listen to your moans about homesickness and to supply you with honey and welsh cakes if ever you should need them. I had this irrational fear of being forgotten about as others learned to build their lives without me - which has certainly not been the case. Care packages have to be one of the perks of a year abroad, as well as being one of the most essential means of survival. I've got so much tea now, it's great - I'll certainly get through it all too!
I've been thinking though, and I guess this is just one of the main parts of how learning a language and living abroad make you question the world a bit. While mired in the depths of homesickness, one of the thoughts that popped into my head was how sick I was of pronouncing my name in a stupidly exaggerated French accent just so that people can actually write it down. My view on this is that it's a bit insulting - my name is my name, I pronounce your name correctly, or at least try to - why can't you make the same effort? Another thing on a related note is how annoyed I get by non-English, but anglophone, people pronounce "France" - instead of "Frahh-nce" (which is arguably closer to the French pronunciation of it) they pronounce it "Fraa-ntz". Yes, I am being a complete and utter snob when I say this, I make no bones about this. I will confess my belief here that when something is not pronounced correctly, it suggests to me a lack of comprehension of the subject. For example, I saw Chicago the other weekend, which was sung entirely in French, and it was fantastic. My only niggle was that the French mispronounced "Roxy Hart". This riled me no end. Sure, I understand that the French like to make many things their own, but given that the musical is called Chicago, they should at least honour the American pronunciation. It is rare that you will hear me say that too - I am a purist and consider British English and American English to be entirely separate languages.
A biscuit is NOT a cookie. They are two different things in British English. And a macaroon is certainly not a "cookie". It's a macaroon, it exists of itself. Calling it a cookie cheapens it. Colour has a "u" in it. (I'm just saying).
But then it hit me.
What does it mean to be correct, anyway? Correct here suggests to me that which has become culturally appropriated.
For example, It's not wrong in American English to say "the hospital" and "a couple things" - eg. "I took him to the hospital, he has a couple things wrong with his kidneys". This is fine in American English - in society anyway.
However, this is wrong in British English, due to the need for a preposition "a couple OF things" and the unnecessary use of the definitive article - "the" hospital would suggests that only one exists. Maybe it does. But I would be inclined to ask "which" one. In British English, we say "I took him to hospital, he has a couple of things wrong with his kidneys". Hospital here is less defined and more conceptual. One is still inclined to ask "which" hospital, so neither is more correct - it is just a question of what has become culturally adopted and accepted. Two different interpretations of the same thing and nothing more.
As for my name, it is a tough one. You could argue that I am being xenophobic by resenting that people who have another mother tongue to mine pronounce it differently. I mean, of course they will - they will pronounce it according to their own linguistic patterns. They don't do it on purpose just to insult me, it's not another symptom of their expectation for me to conform to their culture as I live in their country. Perhaps you are right. You could also argue though that they are equally guilty by not respecting that I am a foreigner in their country, so do not respect that I speak a foreign language to them. It could be argued that they think their language is superior, or that I think my own is superior. Again, both are probably right.
I'll give you my view on this one though.
American English and British English are different languages. If I were in America, I would speak American English (as far as my knowledge of it stretched - it'd take a lot of mental effort to get myself out of the habit of saying "trousers" for example).
In England, I speak British English.
In France, I speak French. To a French person, I would pronounce their name as a French person might as a sign of respect.
In France, I pronounce my own name as I would in England, contradictory though this is to my previous point. It is my name, therefore I will keep it as such. It is a Welsh surname that has already been pretty slaughtered by the English anyway.
I find it rather sad that friends from countries such as China and South Korea have been forced to adopt an English name in order to make their lives more simple when heading westwards - why can't we make the effort to call people by their names, even when they are linguistically different from our own?
The golden rule of translation is that you never translate the name of someone or something - eg. Downing Street is always Downing Street. It's never "rue Downing". Everything else, you can translate. This is my view on the pronunciation of individual names also.
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