Daughter of Daniel

This morning, reeling in caloric guilt from a weekend of my aunt's cooking, I went for a run in the village and back through the cornfields.  "Le petit tour," it's called 'round these parts.  It's funny being here, because anyone I pass, I'll say "Bonjour!  I am [Coquette], the daughter of Daniel," but they'll know exactly who I am before I open my mouth--the town has 200 citizens.  Why, it doesn't bother them one bit to keep track of Daniel and his little American family.

Taking a left at the big Jesus cross in the village center, I headed toward the cornfields.  It was just between Marthe and Bernard's vegetable garden and their horse pasture that a terrier mutt began chasing me.  And since I don't want to be known as, "Daniel's daughter, the one who swears at dogs in American," I said, "Arrête."

But with Marthe nearby in her cabbage, I was a little shy, and the whole thing lacked conviction.  By now, the dog was close enough to bite at my sneakers, so I turned around and hissed with intensity, "ARRÊTE."

I've mentioned before that my shouting in french, it isn't pretty.  This time, my "r" came out sounding like I was choking on mashed potatoes.

And what you need to know is that the dog stopped dead, cocking its head in the same wide-eyed, mouth-gaping way that french children often do when I part my lips and expel words.  It's a look that says, "Mommy, who is this alien, and what has she done to our pristine language?  My delicate french ears, THEY ARE BLEEDING."

Comments

[kim]

yes, arrête is such a necessary word, yet so frustrating (especially since David will often then throw it back at me, mimicking my anglo accent, which just makes me want to smack him around a LOT).

I can actually force myself to get Rs right, if I say the word about 30 times in a row (I actually do this in the shower sometimes, desperately attempting to pronounce whatever word is in my head that morning). But of course, whenever I actually try to employ the word, it will either come out completely anglophone-slaughtered, or I will make some sort of coughing up a hairball-esque noise. sigh.

[petite]

I'm loving this glimpse into your bucolic parallel existence far from the fashion capital.

More!

[lizardek]

LOL! What a great post! I'm so enjoying your rural sojourn!

[Marilyn]

Will you be posting photos of your La Coquette in the Country adventures?

[sammy]

Ah Coquette, I'm sure the dog (and the neighbors) just thought you were trying to be 'exotic'.

[DDJ]

Part of the shock on the dog's face was probably from seeing a person in sneakers.

[annush]

i thought that was beautifully funny!

[R J Keefe]

What a lovely idyll, even if it does come with snapping terriers.

[delaïdo]

I have the French R in my LastName. Very bad. Whenever I introduce myself, I sound like I don't know how to say my own name. Very bad.

[Dagny]

Thank you for the laugh I needed at the end of my day. The important thing is that you were able to make the dog stop. Don't worry about the why of it all.

[Blaise]

Actually, "stop" is a perfectly fine french word. Well, maybe not, but it is universaly used and understood.

[brando]

awesome. and i bet that this is EXACTLY what that dog was thinking. and it's nice to be known for something. 'the one who swore at the dogs' will be a terrific inscription on the Coquette Cross I'm sure they'll eventually raise in your honor ;)

[Asian Leprechaun]

I have trouble saying arrete. Instead, I hiss, "A tes souhaits!" very viciously, and everybody stops what they're doing and just looks at me.

[meg]

Wait a minute, whenever French born peoples migrate to the states, everyone thinks their accents (and inability to prounounce several sounds correctly) are simply charming.

So, why shouldn't the reverse be true. Wouldn't an American speaking French be adorable as well?

[Coquette]

Marilyn, the pics are a-comin'!

Brando, crucifixion for mispronunciation. Yes, I've heard of this in certain far corners of France...

Meg, oh, you sweet, adorable American. *shaking head and smiling softly* Your accent will charm them WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT. Remind me to take you to a crowded cafe on a Saturday afternoon and we'll play, "let's try and get a waiter to treat us like human beings, even though we are foreign."

[Amy Alkon]

It isn't nice to make Amy snort coffee up her nose without warning. Perhaps a small coffee cup beside the top of the post to advise those sipping liquids to finish before reading?!

[Stephanie]

I just stumbled across your blog tonight, and I have to say, I love it! I laughed at your description of how children react to your French - I am an American studying abroad in Montpellier, and I teach English twice a week at an ecole maternelle. The children there give me the same look, though they're getting used to my Anglophone ways. I can definitely sympathize!