"lendemain de barbecue" (c) Philippe Larroudé-Tasei

I learned today's word from my friend Philippe, who is also the parrain (godfather) of my daughter. He sent us an email, exclaiming how "trognon" our six puppies are. Philippe, a doctor of geophysics in Grenoble,  is also a photographer working on his first book. He takes a lot of pictures of the ground… and his photos encourage us  to notice the art beneath our feet. If you enjoyed his photo "le lendemain de barbecue," which illustrates the end of summertime, please let him know in the comments box! (For those of you expecting a "trognon" photo, how was that for a surprise, les fourmis/ants? Good to shake things up once in a while, non?)

trognon (troh-nyon) adjective

    : cute, lovely

(feminine: trognonne)

noun: core

Audio File and Example sentence:
Listen to my son pronounce these French words: Download Wav or Download MP3

Les chiots de votre chien sont trognons!
Your dogs puppies are so cute!

A Day in a French Life…
Kristin Espinasse

Language Sins

I am learning a few new vocabulary words, thanks to the puppy admirers ("Oh, qu'ils sont trognons! Bravo, Braise, tes bébés sont balèze!"*). Still, as far as language acquisition goes, it is one step forward, two steps back for this longtime learner.

I notice how the puppies seem to learn to walk in the same en-avant-en-arrière* fashion: stepping ahead… only to fall backward, on their hind legs. I fall back on my "hind," too — what with "le" and "la" and French pronunciation… to name only a few.

Things begin to look dim, for a language learner like myself, when you stop to calculate the "one step forward two back" formula for advancement: which would mean that in the two decades that I've studied French, I've taken twenty steps (years) forward… and forty steps back, which, come to think of it, that would explain things: like the fact that I currently find myself at minus twenty (20 – 40 = -20), or left of zero (in the pronunciation department, especially. Pretty humbling that is, to a French major married to a Francophone — with two pint-size Francophones of her own…)

(Note to beginning learners of French, no matter your age: take heart, some of us are more talented than others at language learning… and some of us can wiggle our ears, too.)

~~~

I had a French therapist once who suggested that I do it on purpose, talk this way, that is (with a strong American accent). I remember being offended (Comme si!*). The indignation didn't last long, instead self-doubt set in (did she have a point? Was I really doing it on purpose… to be cute? or to attract attention to myself? What was my problem? And was it a sin?!)

C'était décidé:* I would no longer be caught speaking French with a Barbie Doll drawl!

My conversations with the French became hyper self-aware and, with that, up popped the language snares! It seemed that the harder I tried… the more I would slip-slide.

When in the presence of French speaking expats, things get worse. You should see the pressurized look on my face when I find myself in a room with fellow Anglophones all of whom speak French flawlessly. If my face turns red and my eyes look as if they would pop, it is because I am pushing my lips so tightly together, damned if I'll allow a flawed vowel to slip out. 

But pride goes before the fall, which explains how some of us end up at "subzero" or twenty digits left of "0": we do not advance because we do not take the chance! For others of us, it's laziness, and I think this best explains my heavy accent, this and lack of talent: for I've never had an ear for music, which those who speak French sans accent anglais ou américain ou…* seem to have.

But back to cute: it is a good thing that the French find the Anglophone accent charmant; for if you worry about your accent, the French will be the first to tell you to gardez-le — ne le perdez pas!* It is the same thing any self-respecting Francophile would say to the French, in reverse circumstances.

So vive l'accent! Vive l'individualité!* How bland the world would be if all spoke French flawlessly. Meantime, we can continue to color-up our world with vocabulary — learning a word a day (or three a week 🙂 The language will grow, even if your accent, like mine, is "slow" to unfold.

***

Comments welcome: What about you? Are you a lazy-learner or do you have a naturally-tuned ear and find it easy repeat French words on hearing them? Do you sometimes feel that you have regressed: was your accent and your grammar better before?

Reminder: I will be joining two authors at the American Library in Paris, to talk about "fish-out-of-water experiences" living in la belle France. If, by chance, you are in Paris on Oct. 7th, we would love to see you at this meet-up.

~~~~~~~~~~~French Vocabulary~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, qu'ils sont trognons! Bravo, Braise, tes bébés sont balèze! = Oh, how cute they are. Braise, your babies are strapping!; en-arrière-en-avant = backwards-forwards; comme si! = as if!; c'était décidé = (and so) it was decided; sans accent anglais ou americain ou… = without an American or English or … accent; gardez-le — ne le perdez pas! = keep it — don't (try) to lose it!; vive l'accent = long live the accent; vive l'individualité = long live individuality

Books on/about France:
 1. The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice
 2. Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir
 3. Exercises in French Phonics

French Girl Knits: Innovative Techniques, Romantic Details, and Feminine Designs by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

Thank you, Jacqui McCargar for this trognon photo! Jacqui's dog goes by the name of "Je T'aime". He is a two-year-old Pomeranian. Wish Jacqui bon courage…. (she will arrive next week to help us with the harvest!)