HEY KIDS, LEARNING LANGUAGES IS FUN!
Foreword: I meant this to be a relatively “fun” blog, but you have to speak French for the “fun” part of it to apply in your case. You will see.
In the modern world, where access to foreign countries and cultures has never been easier, no-one should be that surprised to know that attempts to teach even very young children the basics of a foreign language are common. Surely there can be no other explanation for the existence of, for example, the character Tilly in Tots TV on British television. And in the United States you get Dora the Explorer, who, to my reasoning, is a character who speaks Spanish as well as English; according to the Wikipedia entry for this programme: “Each episode is based around a series of cyclical events that occur along the way during Dora’s travels, along with obstacles that she and Boots are forced to overcome or puzzles that they have to solve (with “assistance” from the viewing audience) relating to riddles, the Spanish language, or counting.”
But that’s enough talk about TV programmes aimed at pre-school children. I now want to draw readers’ attention to the following translation exercise – that’s what this blog is really all about. If your mother tongue is English and you speak at least a bit of French, I invite you to translate the following sentences into English – I think you will be entertained. (Remember: practice makes perfect.)
Elle vend des coquillages au bord de la mer.
Peter Piper a ramassé un picotin de poivrons marinés.
J’ai vu Susie Shaw assise en un magasin de cirage de chaussures.
And the other way round:
Three tortoises were trotting along three very narrow rooves.
How much do these sixty-six sausages here cost?
Five dogs were hunting six cats.
Well, they say that this is a good way to master pronunciation…