Among many other things, studying in France has taught me alot about oral expression. Expressing your opinions, recounting stories, and articulating your thoughts can be challenging. It can feel calculated, draining, and sometimes unnatural.

I ask myself why that is, and I'm starting to do a bit of research on pragmatics and language aquisition. But in the mean time, here is my educated guess on why an anglophone might have trouble with oral expression. (Is it really a problem with the individual? Or is it a problem with the English language at large?)

English has a lot of idioms.
Therein lies the problem. But to start, it's important to observe the way anglophones express themselves in colloquial English. I find that Native English speakers use a lot of idioms in everyday life. Add in a few numbers and statistics, and our sentences start to sound a lot like code. Then we end up sounding just like an American sports-radio-announcer-guy from the 80s.


Or, we might end up sounding like a country singer, thanks to all of our references to animals, buckets, and nature. Here's a few of my favourites idioms to hear in passing:

1. Don't sweat it
2. Top hitter
3. To be off the hook (culpable)
4. Rise and shine!
5. The ball is in your court
6. Beating around the bush
7. All in the same boat
8. To crack someone up
9. To go out on a limb
10. Piece of cake

The problem with idioms: English idioms translate poorly to French, if at all. If you're not careful, you might rely on idioms rather than learning creative phrases and sayings. Another problem: how can you translate something that doesn't exist? So when you find yourself at a loss for words during a conversation, you fall back on all of the theory that you learned, and you recite a phrase from your French 101 textbook. The result? A very intellectually stimulating conversation (not). My suggestion? Read more. I know, boring but too true. It's the best way to expand your vocabulary without trying. It doesn't necessarily have to be Rimbaud, Duras, or Hugo. Just pick up the weekly newspaper or read your favourite French blog.

The Less Enunciation, the better! Or is it?
You could say that having a true English accent means abandoning consonants and warping the sound of your vowels. A prime example of this is how Anglophones have a tendency to replace their t's with d's. Suddenly, the word "water" becomes wah-dur, and the word "writer" becomes rider. Strange concept, but true. If I heard someone pronouncing their t's while speaking english, I would probably mistake you for a British person.

The problem with zero enunciation: The French language is built on structure and rules. Phonetics are everything, and every word seems to have a unique purpose and definition. Choose your words wisely, and bless your soul if you mispronounce them because your message may be completely lost. For example, during my first few days in France, I went to a patisserie and asked for a pain au chocolat. Moments later, the lady presented me with a chocolate donut. Mais non, je ne voulais pas une beigne au chocolat, mais un pain au chocolat, madame. Could it have been the way I pronounced the 'a'? Indeed. My tip: Don't stress about pronounciation it too much. Slow down, breath, and take your time if needed. It might feel unnatural at first, but try to get into the habit of enunciating each word.

Anglo-Saxon Names
Having a super anglophone name in France is like screaming from the mountain tops that you are from the Americas. It will have the French hanging on your every word, patiently listening to your accent to confirm their assumption of your origins. Some English names that come to mind are: Walter, Edward, Britney, and Harold. Basically any name containing a 'w' sound. Side note: phonetically speaking, the 'w' is one of the trickiest sounds for a French person to pronounce. The French will struggle with your name and will possibly call you Bretaigne or Edouard instead. Just kidding. But if there is a French equivalent, they will find it. Also, they will begin to practice their English with you because you're their new American or Canadian friend.

The problem Anglo-Saxon names: Nothing at all. Just be confident when meeting new French people. Continue speaking in French with them even when they insist on practicing their English with you.

Well, there you have it!

Can you think of any other ideas? :)

Hello and happy New Year! 2015 is finally here, and I'm sure we all have a list of resolutions and goals that we want to get started on tout de suite. Our batteries are fully charged, and we all have a perfectly blank slate to work with! I find the imagery of 'blankness' and 'new beginnings' so therapeutic, don't you? But let's be honest, if we're not careful, our resolutions can vanish faster than retail stores can dissassemble their christmas displays.

I'd be kidding myself if I said that I am the world's most organized person, but I am super goal-oriented. I think I'd be lost if I didn't have something to constantly work towards. I should probably add that this New Years Eve, I had no resolutions. Well not officially at least. Why? I don't think you should wait until December 31st to set new goals or feel inspired. I feel like there are some lessons that we can't seem to escape... almost as if we keep revisiting them until we sort of 'pass' the test. For this reason, I didn't create any new goals by NYE because I plan on exploring and improving my old ones.

Overall, I think that 2014 was a fairly good chapter in my life. The year proved to be challenging. It felt like every four months brought on another wave of tests and new things to adapt to. I'm not opposed to the idea of "the new", but after a while, I find the challenges it brings to be very emotionally trying. I learned to endure these periods by being extremely patient and keeping a positive attitude despite adversity. I built thicker skin, and sort of became better at enduring things until the storms lightened up or passed. What's more, in 2014 I travelled a lot, cried very little, opened up more, judged others and myself less, and got better and enjoying the moment. I still need to work on finishing what I start, worrying less and being decisive.

Some other things I (re)learned:

Contentment takes work. Work daily at it!
Maintaining your happiness should be like a reflex. Everyday a series of good and bad events will occur. But it's your job to keep your cool. Filter out what you don't want in your life, and embrace positive the things that you do want to manifest in your life :)

Keep. things. simple.
I want to spend more time creating and completing things and less time pondering how to start them. This one is mostly in regards to my blogging habits, haha. I want to start writing on a consistent basis, and I think I can do this if I express myself in a clear and simple way. When writing, I have a habit of starting off by using embellishments and one-thousand details. This often leads to my initial message being lost, which then leads to me forgetting the idea all-together, and finally, the blog post is left in drafts (for dismissal, ofcourse). Instead of being hesitant to publish it because it isn't just the way I want, I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. Sometimes it's best to start things and figure it out as you go along.

Laugh everyday. You deserve it.
Ever noticed how kids laugh at just about anything? Laughter is so important. Life seems to get more 'grown up' and 'serious' with every year, but it shouldn't mean that we can't laugh like we did when we were kids!

Wishing you all the best in the year ahead! Stay strong :)

Highlights of the year in photos: