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French and the Grenoble accent | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| wat Newbie England Joined 5590 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 1 of 7 11 August 2009 at 11:29am | IP Logged |
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I am in the process of learning French, in preparation for living and studying in Grenoble (France) next year. However I am a little concerned over, perhaps, a minor issue: Presumably my current accent, if I could be said to have one, is of the "standard" Parisian variety, since I have primarily picked it up through Pimsleur. Will this accent sound absurd in Grenoble? And perhaps worse; will the accent I pick up in Grenoble sound absurd in the rest of the country? What is a Grenoble accent anyway?
Also, while it isn't strictly relevant to a language forum, I'd be interested to hear about your opinions of Grenoble as a place, if you have them. Thanks 1 person has voted this message useful | |
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6709 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes  Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 7 11 August 2009 at 12:37pm | IP Logged |
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There is nothing wrong in learning French in Grenoble, - long ago the local language there was the 'Franco-Provençal', but that's totally irrelevant now. I have spent my new years holiday in that region (Chambéry) a few years ago, and of course I have also visited Grenoble. People there are speaking as squeakingly clean standard-French as those in Paris. However the most ardent purists don't even recommend Paris (because it is too cosmopolitan) - they say the purest French is spoken in Tours. But that's not something that should bother you.
As a town Grenoble has many good things to recommend: museum, libraries and decent connections to other places, including to the mountain region. And there is a sound tradition for language courses there, reaching back at least to the 70s. On the other hand it may not be the most exuberant and captivating place I have visited in France. But ultimately you have to live there to know how 'livable' a town is. Edited by Iversen on 29 September 2009 at 6:12pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| wat Newbie England Joined 5590 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 3 of 7 12 August 2009 at 8:54pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks so much Iversen, you've put some of my worries to rest. :)
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Risch Groupie United States Joined 5595 days ago 49 posts - 71 votes Speaks: English* | Message 4 of 7 12 August 2009 at 11:16pm | IP Logged |
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I have not visited Grenoble so I can only give you a general opinion on the matter. I
will say that overall it seems that French is rather standardized with relatively little "regionalisms" in accent or lexicon. It is nothing like Italy, Germany, or Spain in that regard. I have noticed in some areas of the South you will find people with a more pronounced accent (almost a 'drawl' even.) On the other hand, if you meet their neighbors you may find that they have a nearly Parisian accent. Safe travels 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| lecorbeau Diglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 6026 days ago 113 posts - 149 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Serbo-Croatian, Turkish | Message 5 of 7 29 September 2009 at 9:20am | IP Logged |
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I haven't really read what the others have posted here, but I lived in Grenoble and I can tell you with 100%
certainty that the grenoblois French is more or less the same as Parisian French, and by that I mean "standard French". I should know---it's the French I speak. If you were going to Marseille, Toulouse, etc.---then you might have had some problems. Edited by lecorbeau on 29 September 2009 at 10:52pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Languagelover Heptaglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 7382 days ago 41 posts - 50 votes Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek Studies: Mandarin | Message 6 of 7 29 September 2009 at 5:08pm | IP Logged |
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Grenoble may not be the most attractive French city, but the mountain surroundings are exceptional. You should not miss a visit to the "Grande Chartreuse" monastery.
For the accent, people of Grenoble have a specific accent which is hard to describe. In any case nobody will notice whether your accent is Parisian or from other places. This being said, and being a native French speaker, I have noticed that people who have for instance learnt French in the South of France get the accent from the Sud over their native accent, which can be quite funny. English speaking Canadians are often in this situation. Though their material is based on French accent (Parisian), their teachers have the "accent québéquois". 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Levi Pentaglot Senior Member United States Joined 5573 days ago 2268 posts - 3328 votes Speaks: English*, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian | Message 7 of 7 29 September 2009 at 11:06pm | IP Logged |
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I find elements of the Quebec accent seeping into my French sometimes, for instance
pronouncing "fine" like English "fin", or "ça" kind of like "saw", even though all my French teachers were French or African. I live so close to the border that I hear the Quebec accent every day, and virtually all the French speakers I speak with come from Quebec; it's hard not to pick up their mannerisms. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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