I took French in school from 7th thru 12th grade, then majored in it in college, and then studied in France for a summer. Yet I never could actually speak the language. Still, it’s a dream of mine to learn it properly one day.
With this dream in mind, I was captivated (and disheartened) by William Alexander’s memoir of his experiences while trying to gain fluency in French over the course of a year -- Flirting with French: How a Language Charmed Me, Seduced Me & Nearly Broke My Heart. (At the same time, he was battling atrial fibrillation, going through trials of medication, multiple cardioversions and multiple ablation procedures. For a while, he was convinced the arrhythmias were brought on by the stress of learning French.)
This short, quick-to-read book is clever and entertaining, with anecdotes about his various studying strategies interspersed with tidbits of French culture and with information about the science of learning languages. Most dismaying is how studies confirm the increasing difficulty of learning new languages as a person ages. (You’re much better off learning language as an infant.) While a basic competence is attainable in middle age (enough to navigate the necessities as a tourist), true fluency is extremely unlikely. Frankly, I’d be happy with basic competence and a visit to France.
The author does not become fluent, sad to say. However, he discovers many benefits to the attempt, some expected and some a pleasant surprise. So this lovely book inspired me to keep “learn French” on my to-do list.
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