Julie Barlow’s “The Best Books for Understanding the French”
See Julie’s recommended reads on France on the new site Shepherd’s Discover the Best Books site: “The Best books for understanding the French.”
Posts in category History of French
The Useless French Language and Why We Learn it
The Bonjour Effect is quote at length in this essay in the Los Angeles Review of Books, on what drives us to want to master …
The Bonjour Effect reviewed in France Today Magazine
France Today magazine says The Bonjour Effect is The Bonjour Effect is “a hugely engaging read, whether you speak French or not, and is surely a must-have for …
Julie works in Lewiston, Maine, on St. John the Baptist
On the feast day of St. John the Baptist, (La Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste), the Franco Center, in association with the Franco-American Collection at USM/LAC …
The Spanish Royal Academy versus the French Academy
The Spanish Language Academy could teach the French a thing or two. In his latest column in Quebec daily Le Devoir, Jean-Benoît Nadeau explains how the …
The Real Story of the French Language Police
By Jean-Benoît Nadeau & Julie Barlow On a website for expats living in France I ran across an interesting list of English words that the …
What Kind of French is Spoken in Quebec?
Questions From Our Readers Paul writes: I am a Franco American trying very hard to rediscover my French. I am at my wit’s end with …
American Independence Day: A Day for Remembering
Tomorrow, Americans everywhere will be celebrating Independence Day. It’s the perfect occasion to take a moment and remember that this “young” republic, the world’s oldest, …
The Return of Charles De Gaulle
It was 62 years ago today that the general Charles De Gaulle initiated the French Resistance with his famous Appeal of June 18th, in 1940. …