October 7th, 2007 French

Ah....French! La belle langue. The language of Baudelaire, Moliere and Rimbaud and the language spoken by so many Canadians and being taught to many more. I love to listen to French music and also like to brush up my language skills by listening to French language radio or television. Ever since I discovered Francoise Hardy as a young teen I've been an enthusiast for this most melodic and expressive of languages, and I feel very fortunate to be able to select children's French language materials for the Library and to assist people in finding what they want. You may be surprised to discover what is available at the Thunder Bay Public Library's French collections. In today's column I will share some of the questions I've received over the years about what is available and perhaps it may inspire you too to visit your local public library to pick up a French novel or picture book, CD or DVD or some of the other materials available for borrowing.

Do you have any CDs or books for learning French?

We have books, dictionaries, grammars, cassettes, CDs and CD-ROMs. The Rosetta Stone language learning CD-ROMs are considered the world's best learning tools.You can put the disc in your computer and then interact with native speakers and the rich images and sounds; you can even quiz yourself and check your pronunciation and answers. The Library has the Rosetta Stone French Level 1 and Level 2.

Do you have any French movies?

We have a variety of movies which were filmed in French and are available in the original language with optional English subtitles. Additionally, many of the DVDs in our English collection have optional French subtitles or soundtracks. Find DVDs of classics like Mon oncle or Au revoir les enfants, or family films like Asterix & Obelix, Disney films or short features for children with Caillou or other animated characters.

Have you any French Canadian legends or folktales?

You can find some amazing stories in books like D'est en ouest: legendes et contes canadiens or the video Legendes du Canada francais. For those who want to know the stories but who read in English only, there are also books available. One new one by Roch Carrier is The Flying Canoe (La chasse-galerie) and it is an amusing picture book which begs to be shared with an audience.

Do you have really really simple French books for a parent whose child is in French Immersion classes and who wants to practice reading in French?

Yes. Each branch has a collection of beginner readers in French for children (or adults) with simple sentences and illustrations to help the novice reader. There are also picture dictionaries which are great for identifying key objects. Also, I would refer you to a useful web site which provides a Beginner's List of French words - both verbs and useful words or phrases such as parce que (because) or maintenant (now). Don't be shy! Plunge right in and soon you'll be able to parler with your children.

Why don't you have books by my favourite French author?

We work to provide a good variety and a French collection which is relevant to the francophone community and the French-learning students as well and we need and welcome your input. If there is a subject, or title, or author which you think that the Library should have, please fill out a suggestion form online or in card format at the Library. We want to provide the books and other materials that you most want.

Are there any award-winning French books?

At the Library can find many of the books which have won the Prix litteraires du gouveneur general (both for adult and children), or the Prix Alvine-Belisle, Prix Cecile-Gagnon or other Canadian and international awards.

Do you have books which are not translations but are in the original French?

We have both, although in the children's department we make a strong effort to provide books written in French by Canadian authors. There are some excellent choices from among the talented French-Canadian writing and illustrating community such as Marie-Louise Gay, Pierre Pratt, Gilles Tibo, Louise LeBlanc and others. But then it is also possible to find your favourite English authors, like Robert Munsch, translated into French. Watch out for name changes - Franklin the Turtle is Benjamin en francais and Clifford the Big Red Dog is the much-more appropriately named, Betrand.

Here is one last tip you might enjoy. If you have ever listened to a native French-speaker in an animated conversation and been curious about the meanings of certain words you hear interjected into the conversation and repeated over and over - words such as donc, alors or ben (pronounced like bain), then you will enjoy reading up on the French language web page for "fillers in speech" at www.ielanguages.com Browse the list at this site and soon you'll be "donc"ing and "bon ben"ing like a Quebecoise.

Bon chance!

Angela Meady, Head of Children's & Youth Services