Customer Reviews

Insiders' French: Beyond the Dictionary

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As a professor of French, it is rare one comes across a book that is can serve as a required text in a multiple number of courses. The authors' very up-to-date list of entries (including the abbreviations that are integral to understanding anything French!) is a gold mine of linguistic information for teachers and students in conversation, civilisation, and literature courses... especially for those that spend time traveling in French-speaking countries, and those who like to keep up on current events in France. It is so interesting, I actually read it cover to cover... it's more than a reference work. I highly recommend this text to anyone learning or already fluent in French... and it is a must for the library reference shelves. I already look forward to a revised (updated) version in the near future. Chapeaux!

Imagine yourself landing in America today with no idea the significance of references to, for example: yuppies, Oprah, MTV, "wardrobe malfunction," 9/11, Obamacare, neocons, tea parties, Michael Jordan/Michael Jackson, Tiger, Prozac, Viagra, the IRS, VISA (the card), ACORN, Fox News, Rush, Maddoff, Watergate, Lewinsky, the homeless, the Pentagon, Hillary, Paris Hilton/Perez Hilton, LGBT, "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is," Wall Street, "shock and awe," etc., etc. These cultural references are short-hand for attitudes, belief systems, and historical events with meanings that continue to resonate. One could have perfect command of English but still have hardly a clue what was going on without understanding these references.

This little book is a compendium of several hundred of these sorts of items that are most useful for an outsider peering into current French culture. It is useful as a reference work and great fun to browse. It may say more about what is on the minds of the French than a lot of more ponderous works. The expressions on our lips are a window into our souls.