I've resumed French classes after a prolonged hiatus - 6 years to be exact. I've always had a fascination for for languages and i've been meaning to master at at least one other language. I know that i should probably concentrate on Tamil but god knows that i can't read or write to save myself and that trying to memorise the Tamil script will in all eventuality suck the life out of me.
The good thing about French is that it utilises the Latin alphabet, hence anyone who knows English or other languages with utilise the alphabet have a fair chance of picking up the language. It makes reading something really easy and you can look up strange words in the dictionary. If i did the same for Tamil, it would take me at least half an hour to make sense of the squiggles and whorls and look up the English equivalent.
Strangely enough despite my ineptness in the language i do possess a working knowledge of Tamil grammar, enough years have passed and enough conversations overheard that the grammatical form of Tamil isn't an exotic creature. The same can't be said for French. When signing up for classes at Alliance Francaise, i requested to be put at the 2nd level justifying it by saying that i had done French for 3 semesters some years ago. I assumed that it would all come back to me in due time and that i would have no trouble catching up with the present students.
Last Friday's class showed me exactly what the level was and how much work i had to do in order to catch up. I don't even know my numbers in French!! . We were doing a lesson on how to tell time and i was lost at sea, not only knowing what the words were but how you pronounce them. The lecturer could have been talking in Greek for all i knew. I felt really smart when i saw classmates nod vigorously and start writing. I begin doodling myself and hoped that he wouldn't call on me to answer. But in a class of 7 students ; fat hopes!
Since then i have embarked on "let's be French" craze. I've bookmarked online newspapers and French radio sites and i've been downloading French music and movies. Incidentally i discovered that the wife of the French President is not only a famous model but a well-regarded chanteuse. I lifted this blog's title from the song Raphael. Carla sings it as an ode to the angel Rapahel calling him "a demon lover" . Doubt she would care if appropriate the title for myself.
I'm optimistic that by year end i'll have some mastery over French, maybe i'll even start blog in French!
