Reading simplified books in your target language is en vogue in Germany at the moment (which will, certainly, please Krashen and other representatives of the comprehensible input hypothesis). It's so much the fashion that the local Aldi's sold simplified French and English novels last month. Yes, exactly. Aldi's. Books. In foreign languages.
All right, I bought a copy of "Tout un fromage", a detective novel about a guy, called Lucien, working at an insurance company. The following dialogue takes place between the detective, who's French, and an American visitor.
"Moi, euh, c'est dificile. Jusqu'ice, je ne connais pas beaucoup de gens", dit Jack. Votre chef..."
"Le patron", corrige Lucien automatiquement. "Le chef est celui qui vous prépare le dîner." (Profijt, n.d., p. 19)
In this little dialogue, Jack, the American, makes a typical German false friend : "Chef" (German "boss") vs. "chef" (as kitchen chef). Only problem: Why should Jack, the American, make GERMAN false friends? Generally, his French language skills are impeccable. I guess the wish to teach the (German) audience a piece of vocabulary trumped all considerations of likely and unlikely errors.
Posts
5 comments:
I'm trying to improve my French by listening to the Audiobook Harry Potter et la Chambre de Secrets at the moment - the difference to the English version is rather unnerving though...Aunt Petunia sounds like a female Louis Defunes...;)
You should never buy books at Aldi's or anywhere else besides your proper local bookstore.
I buy my books wherever I find books I want with prices I can afford. This can include a local bookstore, but I'm not willing to limit myself to them.
Une drole histoire.
lg teacher
"Chef" could be a false friends in many languages. For example, in Spanish, "boss"/"patron" is "jefe".
Post a Comment