Before going to France I'm trying to build up my vocabulary of daily terms that a lot of the time are not taught in French classes. I've found a couple useful resources so far.
http://albis.vetsin.com - This website is probably the best tool I've found thus far other than sitting down with a stack of vocab cards. It's a self-motivated game to beat the clock and survive with three lives. Each life is taken away once a mistake is made. First you click through a list of word pairs, the English and the French counterpart. Then you click start and the English word is given and you must produce the French. Articles are included but are not counted as part of the score (the only part I don't like). If you wish to go from French to English, click on the French Flag instead of the English one.
Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse is also a somewhat useful tool. Here's the Publisher's Weekly blurb:
Vignettes and vocabulary create the base for this lighthearted memoir by Espinasse, whose blog "French Word-A-Day" spawned three self-published books. Born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz., Espinasse followed her heart to France, where she married and started a family. Thirteen years later, she still endures being labeled l'Américaine and experiences the indignities of grammar correction (by her own children, no less). Each short chapter (some are just one page) is inspired by a French word, shares a brief anecdote about French life (incorporating French words into the text), and ends with a list of all of the vocabulary words used in the anecdote, their English translation and a list of expressions using the word. In between explaining words like complicité("closeness, complicity") and égard ("consideration"), Espinasse recounts her adventures, from fitting in with the French moms to undergoing culture shock on return visits to the States, with honesty and humor, never afraid to have a good laugh at her own expense. With its innovative and entertaining way of teaching the finer points of French, Espinasse's memoir will be popular with travelers and expats alike. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
As for other tools, I'll let you know when I stumble across them!
Yesterday I took my ailing laptop over to Best Buy to see if they could fix it and sadly it had to be sent out to "Geek Squad City" to be fixed. I kid you not. That is the term the manager used when he was explaining where my computer was going. It wont be back for at least a week, if it even comes home at all that is. I have a feeling the motherboard is fried and that I'll be getting a brandy new one! Always buy the three-year service agreement. I've had to use it twice now.
Anyway, since my computer is M.I.A. I've been getting a bunch of reading done. Not as much time spent on the Internet researching trains and planes!
I'm about half-way done with Through French Windows by Corbett. As most books in a college library, it's certainly an academic analysis of the French people and government. But in particular the attitude and tone Corbett takes to his pursuit is something odd. In comparison, the Americans are always seen as less than wholesome relying on European stereotype of Americans rather than statistical information; as far as we can tell that is, as Corbett rarely quotes sources to back up his American bashing and I'm pretty sure he's from Unvi of Grenoble and as academics go, he does cite his stats for Frenchness. Of course, this is seen in his tone that is completely dissatisfied with present France (published 1994) and that the France of the future will be a horrible place if things don't change.
Maybe it's my optimism from my American standpoint but I think a lot of the things Corbett expounds on as being less than satisfactory are a lot better than previous years. Sure, the French nuclear family has changed in recent years but that's an international trend in developed countries. Does that mean that France's family ties are falling apart? Not necessarily, just changing.
Anyway, enough of my criticism. All told, this book is pretty useful for cold-hard facts about French policies, economics, politics and demographics. It explains a lot of how the Secu (social security) works and the problems it presents. Things like that. As for the reasons why you should keep your hands on the table, that kind of cultural talk is excluded. Don't let the first chapter that contains a picture of Asterix fool you. This is an academic study and can be just as dry as the Sahara. But if you're looking for explanations of tax brackets and the reaction to AIDS, this is the place to look.
But of course as I'm not done with the book this isn't my final review. More to come later.
A second result of the missing laptop is that although I had taken pictures to put up today it's sadly going to have to wait.
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