Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2016 July 30

= July 30 =

Free French language lessons
I'm of Acadian deecent and my father never let his mother teach me French. I'd like to learn but can't afford Rosetta Stone. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.200.95.10 (talk) 09:11, 30 July 2016 (UTC)


 * If you have a smartphone, there are apps that attempt to teach French - some are free, I believe. Our sister project Wikiversity also has this, but it looks pretty basic. Googling free french lessons provides lots of hits. If you live in a place with a significant number of French speakers, perhaps there is a community center with free lessons - or an opportunity to solicit lessons from someone in exchange for other services...? Software has gotten much better, but is probably still miles behind the abilities of a reasonably good "live" teacher. Matt Deres (talk) 12:11, 30 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Check your local public library! Not only may they have free resources, but you are likely to find a francophone teacher through them if you ask. Collect (talk) 13:20, 30 July 2016 (UTC)


 * I have not tried it, but apparently a lot of language learners have had a good experience with Duolingo. It’s online and it’s free. —Stephen (talk) 15:45, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Listening to news broadcasts in the target language can be helpful as a supplement to formal (or informal) instruction. It's more "natural" than canned phrases, and if you're fairly up on current news you can use familiar words or phrases as an anchor. Many French media outlets have online streaming. Shock Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 15:58, 30 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Your IP address geolocates to Alabama. I can't attest to any French-speaking communities in the Deep South, but you'll find it incredibly helpful, much more than lessons, to be able to communicate with actual speakers. I've heard http://www.hellotalk.com/#en to be highly rated, but I'm sure there's others on IRC and Skype and the like. But the other links above are more fitted to actually knowing what's happening in the language, which is of course a prerequisite to talking to others in their precious free time... → Σ σ  ς . (Sigma) 16:37, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Check out TV5 Monde . The channel is also likely available through a cable provider in Alabama (see ). PS: there's a significant French-speaking community in Louisiana, which is also on the Deep South. --Xuxl (talk) 17:00, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, hence the term Cajun, which is what the OP was trying to tell us, "Cajun" being a corruption of "Acadian". As far as I know, Cajun French is somewhat different from conventional French. Google "learning cajun French" and you will find lots of entries. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:25, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * "Cajun" may be in origin a corruption of "Acadian", but surely the two words have diverged in meaning, with Cajun referring to the South and especially Louisiana, and Acadian referring to parts of Canada and the northern USA. --rossb (talk) 20:21, 31 July 2016 (UTC)
 * ah, yes, the dread canajun cajuns μηδείς (talk) 03:04, 1 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Here's a recording of [shopkeeper speaking with French tourists. The shopkeep has a distinct but not bad accent, and an apparently limited or hesitant vocabulary, but they get on fine, talking about Zydeco (< les haricots) music and where to eat.  If getting a tutor is too expensive, making friends with a Cajun language speaker will be much better than using just Rosetta Stone, which you can mimic if you like.  But a DVD won't correct your mistakes. μηδείς (talk) 19:44, 31 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Acadian French or Cajun French sounds more like Québécois French (Canadian French). It is closer to the language your grandmother would have teached you. Learning the Québec French (instead of conventional French) will also be easier and closer to your culture and roots. Try also listening to some Québec radios through their websites, using your computer instead of a radio. Bonne chance! Akseli9 (talk) 22:20, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

English novel containing Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch
Does anybody here know an example of a English novel containing segments (just a couple of pages; separated by plain English, carrying on the story) of Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch (Example)?
 * I am interested (a) whether and (b) how this dialect was translated to make it understandable for English readers. Looking forward to answers. Play It Again, SPAM (talk) 12:23, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * This may not quite meet your requirements, but have a look at The Forest of Time Wymspen (talk) 14:49, 30 July 2016 (UTC)
 * This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. :-))
 * I have ordered the book to see how it is done. Great! Thanks! Play It Again, SPAM (talk) 15:31, 30 July 2016 (UTC)