Je suis revenue :)
Je regrette de n’avoir rien écrit depuis je ne sais pas combien de jours mais j’étais toujours débordée ou désaxée… j’ai passé mon examen de français, donc à partir de septembre, je ne devrai pas participer aux cours. Mouahah. J’aime diriger le processus d’apprentissage moi-même s’il est trop lent à l’école. Je n’ai jamais suivi les autres mais mon élan est devenu un peu… excessif, sur ce niveau, il n’y a pas de devoir satisfaisant* et c’est bien regrettable, j’ai détesté les cours, ils étaient ennuyeux.
*explication, comparaison: il y a une fille dans le groupe d’allemand qui parle aussi bien l’allemand que moi le français, mais cette langue-là est notre première, nous les autres, nous parlons satisfaisamment et nous recevons des devoirs et des thèmes intéressants, comme ça, elle peut utiliser son savoir et son vocabulaire, elle aussi, elle pratique, elle ne fait pas que souffrir…
Mais maintenant, je ne voudrais pas gaspiller ma salive, j’ai quelques locutions et mots utiles pour partager.
Aide: le Petit Robert
L’œil hagard, agrandi par la peur, par un état de déséquilibre mental ou physique.
Écarquiller: Ouvrir de grands yeux, des yeux ronds : ouvrir des yeux agrandis, arrondis par la surprise, l’étonnement.
Les yeux de Chimène : le regard de l’amour.
Valoir le coup d’œil : mériter l’attention.
Être tout yeux, tout oreilles : regarder, écouter très attentivement.
Avoir, tenir qqn à l’œil: sous une surveillance qui ne se relâche pas.
Loucher: Être atteint de strabisme; avoir les axes visuels des deux yeux non parallèles.
Loucher sur, vers, lorgner, reluquer qc : jeter des regards pleins de désir, de convoitise sur, convoiter
Salomé
Interview with Johan
G: What’s your name?
J: Johan Eric Martin Sandberg McGuinne, Eòghan Èiric Martuinn Beinn Ghainmheach Mac Guinne
G: How old are you?
J: 22 years
G: Where do you live?
J: It really depends on my current mood. At the moment I’m living in Gothenburg, but I’m soon off to Stirling, Scotland where I’ll be living for at least half a year, and during the summers I’m usually trapped in a limbo between my native Westrobothnia in Sweden, Germany or the UK …
G: When and why did you start learning languages?
J: To be honest, I’m not really sure when I started to learn my first second language, but I remember doing nursery rhymes and songs in Northern Saami when I was in nursery school, as I grew up in the far north of Sweden and went to an international kindergarten where i could practice my English alongside my Swedish. I still remember some children’s songs in Farsi, Tagalog and, of course, Saami. I also know how to ask for stuffs in Finnish thanks to my years in nursery school. Anyway. My first real encounter with a second language was at the age of twelve when I fell madly in love with German, and I have had this, oh I love the German word for it, Hassliebe for everything German going on ever since. A couple of years later, while still in upper sec, I picked up French, and I have also been studying Scottish Gaelic and Irish as my father’s family hails from the Western Isles. I have also studied a vast array of other languages, and as I grew up speaking two languages (Swedish, English), and a dialect so different from standard Swedish it’s almost a different language (Westrobothnian), as well as Scottish Gaelic I guess studying languages is as natural to me as having a cup of tea is to an Englishman.
G: Tell me about your level of conversational and reading ability in each of your languages. How long have you been learning each?
J: Swedish is my native language and I am able to switch back and forth between three dialects due to that nomadic family of mine, and though I used to despise Swedish as a bairn and used to love everything in English I have since come to love the way in which my mothertongue creates new words and uses tonal features while still being genuinely Indo-European. Sorry, I geeked out, main point is, I do like my mother tongue.
German and English are both languages I speak fluently – English because of my father, German because I studied it in school and have lived in southern Germany for some time where I had to become fluent in order to survive. I am also able to contribute to a conversation in French thanks to two years in upper sec, and though my oral command of Scottish Gaelic is appalling, I understand quite a lot of it, and passed the SQA Gaelic intermediate test when I was living in Freiburg im Breisgau (I bribed my Irish teacher into having it sent over from Scotland so that I could take it, even though I wasn’t a student at a Scottish school) so I am able to actually use the language quite a lot, though I’ve absolutely no opportunity to speak it here in Gothenburg what so ever. I am so looking forward to my semester in Stirling (Sruighlea in Scottish Gaelic).
G: What languages are you planning to learn in the future? Why?
J: Maori because I love the sound of it, and I have decided to acquire at least one language spoken by an indigenous people before I leave this world. I would love to learn Mandarin Chinese and Tibetan, mainly because I find the Tibet issue quite interesting. As I think Portuguese is most certainly this planet’s sexiest language I have decided to master it before I turn 30.
G: How do you define “fluency”?
J: Fluency to me is when you’re able to live your life in a country where that language you think you’re fluent in is being spoken, just as well as if you’d been living in your own home country. A grammatical error here and there might be acceptable, but if you have to pause a lot or ask people to repeat things you’re not really fluent in that language. Basically, with my understanding of the term ‘fluency’, you’re not really fluent in a language before you can start your day by attending and understanding a lecture held by someone going on about something in the most dreadful academic version of said language, and end your day in a disco talking with a bunch of drunk teenagers all standing next to a loud-speaker, so that you cannot really hear what they’re saying, but still being able to contribute to said discussion. If you manage to communicate, interact and understand everything, then you’ve acquired fluency in that language.
G: What role do languages have in your everyday life?
J: Languages make up a lot of my free time, as I dedicate my life to languages in one way or another. I use three languages on a daily basis, and I teach German and English as a foreign language to a group of secondary students (ECTS A2-B2). Apart from that I work as a freelance-translator and I am currently working on a Westrobothnian dictionary as my grandma has ‘asked’ me to make one to collect old words and revive the dialect. (To be honest, she forced me to do it …)
G: What’s the best learning method you’ve encountered?
J: Let me go all cheerleader and give you a fancy word, i-m-m-e-r-s-i-o-n, I really think there’s no better way to acquire a new language! Books will teach you a lot, and they’re of great importance when you’re trying to learn new words or the basic grammar structure of a language, but so far no one has been able to make a book that you can actually have a fruitful discussion with.
G: Any materials you’d recommend?
J: Well, no, though if you’re studying English you really shouldn’t leave your house without an Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary. For German I’d recommend you to buy the flashy, oh so expensive Duden, but that’s about it.
G: What’s your opinion of other scripts (i.e. other than Latin)? Ever learned one?
J: I’ve been teaching and writing calligraphy for quite some time, so different scripts have naturally been of great interest to me. I am able to read and write Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Greek, as well as Tibetan (badly), as well as a decent amount of Chinese signs, taking into consideration that my spoken command of the language is restricted to something close to “My name is … I’m from Sweden and work as a teacher. I would like to order the noodle soup, please” …
G: What do you think about tonal languages?
J: There’s been this debate going on whether or not Swedish is actually, to some degree, a tonal language, and we do have some tonal features (verbs can sometimes be turned into a noun by changing the pitch accent, and we do have a high rising tone). Generally I have nothing against tonal languages but I do find them extremely hard to pronounce. I’m able to pronounce the clicks of isiXhosa just fine, but try to say 碼駡馬嗎? …
G: What kind of language do you prefer? (agglutinative, inflexional, isolating etc.)
J: I am deeply in love with the Celtic languages, all being VSO, sporting initial mutations, inflected prepositions and a vigesimal numeral system (I refuse to say trichead, it’s fichead ‘s a deich!)
G: Any podcast you’re listening to?
J: Well, I try to listen to the Scottish Gaelic podcast ‘Litir do luchd-ionnsachaidh le Ruaraidh MacIlleathain’, and then there’s ‘The Adam and Joe Show’, but that’s about it.
G: Ever taken a language proficiency exam?
J: I’ve taken a couple of language proficiency exams, among them the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English and the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, as well as the German Zertifikat Deutsch. I’ve also (though not ‘officially’) taken the SQA Gaelic Intermediate Test.
G: What’s the hardest part of learning a new language?
J: Grammar. I absolutely hate grammar. Vocab is easy, as is pronunciation most of the time, tonal languages excluded, but grammar …
G: What’s the best part of learning a new language?
J: Everything about learning a new language is fun, from the first struggling sentences you’re able to produce after some lessons, to the day when you’ve acquired fluency in a foreign language. I love being able to read a language in a foreign language!
G: Any embarrassing experience connected to languages?
J: Och ma tha – Yes indeed!
G: Some huge blunder perhaps?
J: Apparently Swedish is a filthy, perverse and incredibly dirty language if you’re studying German. Especially the word ‘fika’ (having a coffee, eating something …) is a word one should avoid in Germany. I remember having a crush on a German girl during my first exchange period in Germany, I’d been studying German for two years in upper sec and was still but a beginner, and I wanted to invite her to a café, and nervous as I was, I managed to ask her if ‘du mit mir fika gehen möchtest’ which roughly translates as ‘do you want to have sex with me’, as ‘fika’ (a perfectly innocent word) sounds as the German verb ‘ficken’ which translates as ‘to fuck’. Yes. I did indeed die.
G: What are your thoughts on conlangs?
J: I love conlangs, they’re a lot of fun, and as a child my sister and I had a conlang we used whenever we wanted others not to understand us. She grew up, I didn’t, and still love to create new languages.
G: Favorite polyglot either living or dead (or one of both)?
J: I don’t really have a favourite, they’re all dead cool.
G: What’s your single favorite word in each of your languages?
J: Westrobothnian: he (the single most important word in Westrobothnian, meaning everything from ‘to put/throw/lay down etc’ to ‘it’); Scottish Gaelic: ceòl (music) and cianalas (longing); Maori: tohora (whale) German: Atmen (to breathe)
G: Any good advice you think could come in handy when it comes to learning languages?
J: If you really want to learn a language, then you will learn it, but I think it’s a bad idea to study all too many languages at the same time at a beginners level, it may cause a lot of confusion and I personally think it’s better to be able to speak three languages fluently, than having little bits and pieces out of 25 languages …
Comme un vol d’aigles
A partir de maintenant, je vais écrire des articles concernant les livres que je lis. (Et c’est ce que va faire ma petite amie aussi.) Le premier dont je vais vous parler est celui portant le titre “Comme un vol d’aigles”. C’est une histoire authentique racontant les événements de la révolution iranienne de 1979 du point de vue des cadres de la compagnie américaine EDS (Electronic Data Systems) dont deux ont été injustement incarcérés quand la révolution s’est déclenchée . C’est une oeuvre bien écrite que je vous recommande fortement… J’ai trouvé l’intrigue plutôt palpitante et pleine de suspense et par surcroît le roman décrit tout à fait ce qui s’y est déroulé. Si l’on veut lire quelque chose de bien intéressant et excitant à la fois, ce livre est un bon choix.
Description “officielle”:
“Décembre 1978. A Téhéran, à quelques jours de la chute du Shah, deux ingénieurs américains de l’Electronic Data Systems sont jetés en prison. A Dallas, Ross Perot, le patron de cette multinationale, remue ciel et terre pour obtenir leur libération. En vain: le gouvernement américain ne veut pas pour le moment s’engager. Perot décide alors d’agir seul. Il confie au colonel Bull Simons, un ancien des Bérets Verts du Vietnam, un commando composé de cadres E.D.S., tous volontaires bien qu’ils soient prévenus du côté suicidaire de la mission, et les expédie à Téhéran.Leur objectif: ramener à Dallas leurs camarades. Comme un vol d’aigles: un récit parfaitement authentique, où rien n’est inventé et où tout paraît plus stupéfiant, plus extraordinaire que le plus échevelé des romans d’aventures. A mon avis, sûrement un des meilleurs de Ken Follett dans le genre suspense! C’est un des premiers que j’ai lu de cet auteur et il est vraiment fabuleux.”
Bonne lecture! 
Gabriel
Useful expressions. Again.
buckle down: to start working seriously – Team, if we want to win this tournament, we’re going to need to buckle down!
butt in: to interruprt, to interfere – Nancy is always butting in to other people’s business.
get real: be serious or realistic about what’s going on – You think you won’t get a speeding ticket when you drive 85 miles per hour? Get real!
go into: to enter a profession – Lisa enjoys arguing with people, so she decided to go into law.
green with envy: desiring another’s advantages or things – You won the lottery? I’m green with envy!
gung ho: very enthusiastic; very excited (about something) – Heather is really gung ho about her new job.
have one’s heart set on: to really want something – Did you really have your heart set on going to Harvard?
head and shoulders above: far superior to – I can’t believe you only won second prize in the competition. You were head and shoulders above the first-prize winner!
hit the books: to start studying – Hit the books! I know you have a test tomorrow.
not give a hoot: to not care about – Tom likes to walk around in his pajamas – he doesn’t give a hoot what people think.
over one’s head: beyond one’s understanding – The article on cloning was written for scientists. It was over my head.
pay somone a compliment: to give someone a compliment; to offer someone an admiring comment – Professor Russo paid Jennifer a compliment. He said she had a beautiful smile.
shake in one’s shoes: to tremble with fear; to be afraid – During the storm, Billy was hiding under his kitchen table and was really shaking in his shoes.
slack off: to waste time – I’d better stop slacking off. My essay is due in two hours.
slacker: someone who slacks off all the time
A quoi bon?
Il est presque 2 heures du matin, je suis pas sûr de quoi écrire mais je vais le faire de toute façon. L’été touche à sa fin. Et c’est un peu insolite mais je n’ai rien contre l’école en ce moment. En fait, ça sera ma dernière année au lycée et je crois que cela va me manquer. L’ensemble des choses qui constituent l’institution et la vie lycéennes. Et je sais que ce sont les adultes et surtout les vieux qui le disent tout le temps mais je dois convenir que c’est effectivement vrai: le temps fuit. Sans que l’on s’en rende compte. Trop bizarre, hein? Que moi, l’ado, je dis ça. Mais c’est trop vrai quand même. Il faut que l’on l’accepte. Et je dois prendre des décisions. C’est en partie ce qui va déterminer mon avenir dont je sais pas beaucoup à présent. Mais ça va devenir plus clair à terme. Tout. Les 12 mois suivants seront probablement ceux les plus importants de ma vie jusqu’ici.
Qui vivra, verra.
Gabriel
La Marseillaise
La Marseillaise est l’hymne national de la République française. Elle fut déclarée chant national le 14 juillet 1795.
La Marseillaise
Premier couplet
Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L’étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes !
Refrain :
Aux armes, citoyens
Formez vos bataillons
Marchons, marchons !
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !
Couplet 2
Que veut cette horde d’esclaves,
De traîtres, de rois conjurés ?
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves,
Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ? (bis)
Français, pour nous, ah ! quel outrage
Quels transports il doit exciter !
C’est nous qu’on ose méditer
De rendre à l’antique esclavage !
Refrain
Couplet 3
Quoi ! des cohortes étrangères
Feraient la loi dans nos foyers !
Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires
Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ! (bis)
Grand Dieu ! par des mains enchaînées
Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient
De vils despotes deviendraient
Les maîtres de nos destinées !
Refrain
Couplet 4
Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides
L’opprobre de tous les partis,
Tremblez ! vos projets parricides
Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix ! (bis)
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre,
S’ils tombent, nos jeunes héros,
La terre en produit de nouveaux,
Contre vous tout prêts à se battre !
Refrain
Couplet 5
Français, en guerriers magnanimes,
Portez ou retenez vos coups !
Épargnez ces tristes victimes,
À regret s’armant contre nous. (bis)
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires,
Mais ces complices de Bouillé,
Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié,
Déchirent le sein de leur mère !
Refrain
Couplet 6
Amour sacré de la Patrie,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs
Liberté, Liberté chérie,
Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis)
Sous nos drapeaux que la victoire
Accoure à tes mâles accents,
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !
Refrain
Couplet 7
(dit couplet des enfants)
Nous entrerons dans la carrière
Quand nos aînés n’y seront plus,
Nous y trouverons leur poussière
Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis)
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre
Que de partager leur cercueil,
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil
De les venger ou de les suivre
Refrain
Colloquialisms A-B
ain’t long enough: of a sum of money that isn’t adequate. – This here bankroll ain’t long enough to get me much of anything.
airheaded: stupid, giddy. – You are the most airheaded twit I have ever met!
all that and then some: everything mentioned and some more
all that jazz: all that stuff – She told me I was selfish, hateful, rude, ugly and all that jazz.
ass out: broke – I ain’t got a cent. I’m ass out, man.
at loose ends: nervous and anxious; bored with nothing to do. – I’m at loose ends on weekends.
Aunt Flo: a woman’s menstrual period – It’s Aunt Flo again. She is such a pest.
aw, shucks: a mild oath (folksy) – Shucks, ma’am. It wasn’t anything at all.
backfire: to release intestinal gas anally, perhaps audibly – Whew! Somebody backfired!
backlash: the negative response to something – Was there any backlash aimed at your suggestion?
bankroll: a roll or wad of currency; one’s cash assets - Don’t show that bankroll around here!
barf: to vomit
barracude: a predatory person, especially a predatory woman
bazillion: an indefinite, enormous number – Ernie gave me a bazillion good reasons why he shouldn’t do it.
BBL: be back later
BCNU: be seeing you
beam up: to die (from the television program Star Trek)
Bean Town: Boston, Massachusetts
beasty: [of a person] undesirable; yucky (California) – I can’t stand that gross beasty jerk!
beat it: Get out! Go away! – You bother me. Beat it!
beaut [bjut]: someone or something excellent, not necessarily beautiful
beemer: a BMW automobile – I had to sell my beemer when the stock market crashed.
believe you me: You should believe me! – Believe you me, that was some cake!
bend the law: to cheat a little bit without breaking the law
bewottled: alcohol intoxicated – Sam was so bewottled that he could hardly walk.
BFD: Big fucking deal!; So what?
biffy: a toilet
the Big Apple – New York City
big-C: cancer
the big house: a state or federal penitentiary – It’s either go straight now or spend the rest of your life in the big house.
big kahuna: the important person; the knowledgeable authority on some matter (From the Hawaiian word for “priest.” Sometimes capitalized.) - Here comes the big kahuna. He thinks he knows everything.
bit: a jail sentence (Underworld.) – I did a two-year bit in Sing Sing.
bitchin’/bitching/bitchen: 1. classy – This is a totally bitchin’ pair of jeans! 2. Terrific! – Four of them? Bitchen!
bite the dust: to die – A shot rang out, and another cowboy bit the dust.
blaze: to smoke marijuana – Two freshmen are in the restroom blazing.
blot someone out: to kill someone (Underworld.)
blow on it: Cool it!; Take it easy! – It’s all right, Tom. Blow on it!
blow Z’s: to sleep
bogus: phony; false; undesirable – I can’t eat any more of this bogus food./This class is really bogus.
boner: 1. a silly error – What a boner! You must be embarrassed. 2. an erection
book: to leave – Let’s book. I’m late.
bosh: nonsense, idle talk – That is enough of your bosh!
breeder: a nonhomosexual (In a homosexual context.) – Don’t invite Wally. He’s a breeder.
BS: 1. bullshit; nonsense; deception. – Don’t feed me that BS! I know the score! 2. to deceive or attempt to deceive someone with lies or flattery. – Don’t try to BS me with your sweet talk!
bug off: Get out! Go away! – Bug off and leave me alone!
bullshit artist: a person expert at lies, deception and hype
bunkie: a roommate – My bunkie is from Iowa.
bunkum: nonsense – That’s just plain bunkum.
butt-ugly: very ugly
buy: to believe something
buy it: to die – For a minute, I thought I was going to buy it.
BVDs: underwear; men’s underwear
BYOB: bring your own booze – I hate BYOB parties. There’s never enough to drink.
Gabe
Coeur de pirate – Ensemble
Une jeune québécoise avec une voix adorable avec une chanson un peu enfantine mais très mignonne et amusante pour moi. En plus, une mélodie qui monte à la tête.
This and that – some expressions worth knowing
to break the news: to make something known – You’d better break the news to your father carefully. After all, you don’t want him to have a heart attack.
to cost an arm and a leg: to be very expensive – A college education in America costs an arm and a leg.
dead-end job: a job that won’t lead to anything else
to go back to the drawing board: to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning – The president didn’t agree with our new ideas for the company, so we had to go back to the drawing board.
to go belly-up: to go bankrupt
to give someone the ax: to fire someone
to lose one’s temper: to become very angry
(real) flop: a failure – The Broadway play closed after just 4 days – it was a real flop.
to save the day: to prevent a disaster or misfortune – We forgot to buy champagne for our New Year’s party, but Sonia brought some and really saved the day.
as sharp as a tack: very intelligent
to talk over: to discuss
top dollar: a lot of money – Nicole paid top dollar for a shirt at Banana Republic.
easier said than done: more difficult than you think – Moving into a new home is easier said then done.
to get canned: to get fired
to hang in there: to not give up
if worse comes to worst: in the worst case – I know you’re running out of money. If worse comes to worst, you can always sell some of your jewelry.
to keep one’s chin up: to stay positive
to live from hand to mouth: to barely have enough money to survive
to make ends meet: to manage one’s money so as to have enough to live on; to be okay financially – If you can’t make ends meet, you’ll need to start spending less.
out of work: unemployed
right-hand mand: the most helpful assistant or employee
to set eyes on: to look at; to see for the first time
stressed out: under severe strain; very anxious
to tell off: to scold; to tell someone in strong words what one really thinks – Patty is going to tell off the plumber because the pipes he said he fixed are still leaking.
when pigs fly: never
Gabe
