Here in Quebec, this is a sort of academic rite of passage.
Basically, it's a short phrase, story, or article that one hears and then copies down.
The goal is to copy it down with perfect spelling and grammar.
Now, if you know French at all, you know this is PRETTY MUCH FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE.
This language is NUTSO.
Oh, it's beautiful to listen to, don't get me wrong.
There's a reason French is considered the language of love.
And there's no hilarity like a swearing Quebecer.
Trust me, they take cursing to new heights.
I wet my pants every time I see my husband hit a golf ball, because the string of curses that follows is so damned eloquent and explosive at the same time.
But this crazy language has exceptions on top of its exceptions.
The grammar is so tough, French writers consult a manual. CONSTANTLY.
They have dictée COMPETITIONS on the TELEVISION.
ON THE FREAKING TELEVISION.
IN PRIME TIME.
So dictées are a big deal.
This particular dictée was also a big deal because it was her first ever actual RESULT for school work.
Up until now, it's been "yay, Eva! You counted to 10!" or "yay, Eva! You drew a fish!"
Now, suddenly, she's into the realm of EVALUATION for one's work.
There's no turning back.
She had to write three words (she's only five)
Ski, vélo, and nager.
And she got them all.
She lost a half-mark because she wrote her name in capital letters but that's okay (although little miss Type-A insisted on writing her name in capital AND lower-case letters today for her teacher, to show her that SHE CAN DO IT PERFECTLY SO THERE)
Which, actually, almost makes me more proud than the dictée.
Bravo, Evita!!!
Tu as bien fait, ma belle.
2 comments:
Amazing! Oh my goodness, what a gift you're giving her to be able to speak two languages. Do you speak two languages at home, sort of interchangeably? I took a trip to Montreal in college and we had supper in this home (vague on the details), but I remember the husband and wife speaking and how they constantly rolled from English to French - it was so cool.
Btw - I am supposed to be looking for festivals to book the band, and now I'm thinking how cool it would be to go to Montreal. If you know of a fun festival - jazz or world music - let me know the name of it!
My husband is francophone (from Montreal) and I'm anglophone, but each speaks and understands the other's language. We kind of flip-flop between the two.
With our daughters, he speaks to them in French, and I speak to them in English...and they respond to him in French and to me in English. They go to daycare and school in French, but my degree is in English and the language is everywhere, anyway, so they've had no problem keeping up with it. I read somewhere that kids under 10 can learn up to six languages simultaneously - they really are little sponges! Montreal is cool because most people speak at least two languages and there are just so many different languages floating around.
As for performing here, there are TONS of festivals in Montreal. I am going to talk to a friend who's a cultural reporter to find out what exactly might be some of your best options, but here's a link to a fairly comprehensive list of events in Montreal - there are links on the page, so you can get where you want to go, if anything catches your eye.
http://www.montreal.com/tourism/fests.html
If you do come to perform, let me know and we'll come cheer you on!!!
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