malingering. See sinistrose
manière d’être (way of being)
manners
mariage pour tous (marriage for all)
“The Marseillaise”
masculine articles
meals
codes
conversation during
length of
rhythm of
ritual of
media
business coverage by
economics coverage by
politics in
memorization
métiers (trade, occupation, or profession)
mission (mission)
modèle français (social model)
Mois des mots (the month of words)
monarchy
mondialisateur (globalizer)
money
“impersonal”
as private topic
saving
as taboo
talking about
monolingualism
the month of words. See Mois des mots
Mouffetard (street)
names
exchanging
first
surname laws
national education system. See Éducation nationale
National Front Party
elites and
EU and
immigrants and
patriotism and
national identity
language and
race and
nationalism
negativism
expressions
philosophy on
sinistrose and
taboo discussions and
negligence. See faute simple
neither-nor. See ni-ni
ni-ni (neither-nor)
no. See non
no problem. See je vous en prie
non (no)
authority and
default
faute and
firm
meanings of
taboos and use of
November 13 Paris terrorist attacks
obey
occupation. See métiers
odd ball. See drôle de zèbre
official boosterism
official history
oh my/dear/no. See râlâlâ
old acquaintance. See vieille connaissance
optimism
philosophy on
oral presentations. See exposés
origin
of food
inquiring about
oui (yes)
outrageous comment. See énormité
outside of usual frameworks. See hors des cadres
overgeneralizing
parce que c’était lui, parce que c’était moi (because he was he, and I was I)
parental leave legislation
parenting
authority and
education and
philosophy
se placer and
pas question (it’s out of the question)
passé composé (past perfect)
passé simple (the simple past)
past
past perfect. See passé composé
patriotism
peasant revolt. See jacquerie
personal fulfillment. See épanouissement personnel
personal information
personal life
personal sphere
friendship and
humor and
pessimism
systematic
petite phrase (sound bite)
phatic expressions
phatics
philosophy
bac and
negativism and optimism
pipoles (celebrities)
poems, learning
political parties. See also specific parties
extreme-right
politicians and
in school politics
politicians
parties and
racism and
sexism and
les vœux
politics
economics and
family and
francophonie and
French Revolution and
language and
local initiatives and
in media
minorities in
patriotism and
school
spontaneous expression and
taboos in
women in
pop culture
post-dinner drink. See digestif
potato gratin. See tartiflette
pote (acquaintance, affectionately)
poverty, geography of
les précieuses ridicules (pretentious young ladies)
pre-dinner drink. See apéro
pretentious young ladies. See les précieuses ridicules
Printemps de l’Optimisme (Spring of Optimism)
privacy
formality and
French codes and
public vs.
private topics
productivity
profession. See métiers
Programme
progressivism
proof of address. See justificatif de domicile
protests
provoc (provocation)
public, private vs.
public bubble
public speaking
purism
culture of
language
Quebec culture
Quebec French language
Quebeckers
attitudes toward
Le Quid (reference book)
race
national identity and
statistics
as taboo
talking about
racism
racist insult. See injure raciste
râlâlâ (oh my/dear/no, disappointment)
râler (to moan)
ras-le-bol fiscal (fiscal fed up-ness)
recession
reciprocity
regional languages
regions
number of
Paris’s authority and
religion
laïcité and
religious communities
religious holidays
remarqueurs
rentrée scolaire (back-to-school)
reparties (comebacks)
réplique (comeback)
republican assimilation. See assimilation républicaine
research method
resourcefulness. See Système D
respect, for authority
respectueusement (respectfully)
retirement
revanche des petits contre les grands (revenge of the underclasses)
ridicule
fear of
names and
le ridicule ne tue pas (ridicule doesn’t kill anyone)
right to experiment. See droit à l’expérimentation
ritual
bonjour
of meals
rule-based learning
rules
of conversation
dining
of privacy
sage (well behaved)
salon, history of
salon culture
same-sex marriage
saucisson (dried sausage)
savings
school
cantine
dictée
English instruction at
exposés
fautes and performance at
foreign language in
grading system
grandes écoles
holidays
laïcité in
language purism and
lycée
mobility in
politics in
rentrée scolaire
slang at
written language in
school days
school lunches
se placer (find a “situation”)
secul
arism. See laïcité
seditious revolt. See fronde
see you again. See au revoir
self-criticism
self-deprecation
self-employment
semantics
serious misconduct. See faute grave
service industry
sex
gender relations vs.
jokes about
talking about
sexism
politicians and
in workplace
sexual behavior
sexuality
shop owners
si (as contradiction to negative statement)
simple past. See passé simple
sinistrose (malingering)
slang
snack. See goûter
social benefits
social bubble
social charges. See charges sociales
social class
elites
English and
holidays and
poverty, geography of
speech and
social democrat. See social-démocrate
social interaction, talking and
social model. See modèle français
social programs
social security
social-démocrate (social democrat)
socialism
socialisme de l’offre (supply-side socialism)
“societal” pessimism
sound bite. See petite phrase
spatial dimensions
specialized universities. See grandes écoles
spoken language
written vs.
spontaneous expression
Spring of Optimism. See Printemps de l’Optimisme
stage (internship)
statement of secularism. See charte de la laïcité
stereotypes
stewed sausage. See jambonnette
stirring, intermingling. See brassage
suburbs
supply-side socialism. See socialisme de l’offre
surname laws
synonyms
Système D (resourcefulness)
table companion. See commensal
taboos
of faute
of money
of nationalism
negativism and discussing
non and
optimism
in politics
of race
of religion
talk shows
talking. See also conversation; discussions
for Americans
debating contests and
about food
about gender relations
importance of
about language
about money
philosophy studies and
about race
about sex
social interaction and
training for
about work
tartiflette (potato gratin)
tax notice. See avis d’imposition
tax shelters
taxation
territorial divisions
territory
terroir (local specialties)
economic development and
terrorisme. See also Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks; Hyper Cacher grocery store terrorist attacks; November 13 Paris terrorist attacks
testing, importance of
texting
that will not be possible. See “ça ne va pas être possible”
that’s France for you. See “ça, c’est la France!”
to moan. See râler
to tame. See apprivoiser
“to use tu.” See tutoyer
“to use vous.” See vouvoyer
tossed by the waves, it doesn’t sink. See Fluctuat nec mergitur
trade. See métiers
trade shows
tu (you, informal)
tutoyer (“to use tu”)
UMPS
unemployment
the unforeseen. See imprévu
universalité (universality)
universities
urban population
vacances (August)
vacances-des-pauvres (holidays for the poor)
values
Verlan slang
very good friend. See intime
vieille connaissance (old acquaintance)
vocabulary
voting
vous (you, formal)
vouvoyer (“to use vous”)
way of being. See manière d’être
weather
week-end
well behaved. See sage
wine labels
wit. See esprit
with best wishes. See bien à vous
women. See also gender
in politics
working mothers
in workplace
women’s rights
word borrowings
words
work
attitudes toward
finding
holidays and
job contracts
promotion exams and
rationing
work days
working mothers
workplace
English in
sexism in
women in
workweek
World War I
World War II
worldview
writing
written language
in school
spoken vs.
yes. See oui
you, formal. See vous
you, informal. See tu
youth. See jeunes
Les Zèbres (the zebras)
zone franches (free zones)
Also by Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong
The Story of French
The Story of Spanish
About the Authors
Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau are the award-winning authors of The Story of French, The Story of Spanish, and the bestselling Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong. They live in Canada. You can sign up for email updates here.
Sign up for email updates on Jean-Benoît Nadeau here.
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For email updates on Jean-Benoît Nadeau, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Introduction
Part One: Form
1. I Greet, Therefore I Am
2. Privacy Rules
3. Finding the Yes in Non
4. Schools: The Speech Factory
5. The Family Factor
6. The Art of Conversation
7. Très Talk
Part Two: Content
8. Food for Talk
9. Know-It-Alls
10. Down by Nature
11. Fixation on French
12. English Envy
13. Looking Out for France
14. Economy of Speech
15. Silent Labor
16. Boys and Girls
17.The Poetry of Politics
18. Proof of Identity
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Also by Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau
About the Authors
Copyright
THE BONJOUR EFFECT. Copyright © 2016 by Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
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Cover design by Olga Grlic
Cover illustration by Greg Paprochi
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Barlow, Julie, 1968– author. | Nadeau, Jean-Benoit, author.
Title: The Bonjour effect: the secret codes of French conversation revealed / Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoit Nadeau.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, [2016]
Identifiers: LCCN 2015042739 | ISBN 9781250051851 (hardback) | ISBN 9781250102447 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: National characteristics, French. | France—Social life and customs. | French language—Social aspects. | Oral communication—France. | Language and culture—France. | BISAC: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES | Translating & Interpreting. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural. | TRAVEL / Europe / France.
Classification: LCC DC34 .B275 2016 | DDC 944—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015042739
e-ISBN 9781250102447
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: April 2016
The Bonjour Effect Page 30
