From the online editions of some of the French press:
http://elections-americaines.lesechos.fr/
http://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/accueil/
http://www.france-info.com/spip.php?rubrique375&theme=107&sous_theme=375
http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/pages/001/page_385.asp
http://www.courrierinternational.com/
http://www.lefigaro.fr/investiture-obama/index.php
http://specials.fr.msn.com/news/election-presidentielle-americaine.aspx
It is no mystery that we learn our language in childhood and become citizens of our countries thanks to the institution of primary schools. It is therefore essential to ensure that children are exposed to a diversity of situations, and taught about life as it is, and not just their immediate surroundings.
I am saddened to read this article. But I’m not overly surprised. Of course, a child doesn’t learn his or her mother tongue by reading dictionaries, but partly by looking up those secret words that they’ve never seen or heard before. The vast majority of children are now brought up in at least semi-urban conditions, and despite their teachers’ efforts are increasingly removed from Nature. It’s a pity that the adults who are in charge of producing such tools of knowledge as dictionaries are so keen to sever the flimsy links that still connect them to Nature. We are not being esoteric or excessively nostalgic here: some of the words culled are not just the catkin shown above, but also acorn, buttercup, heron, almond, marzipan, ash, beetroot, porpoise, gooseberry, raven, carnation, blackberry, tulip, porridge, etc. Was blackberry replaced by its capitalized version?
The author’s argument has to do with the important link between language and imagination. But there are ‘down-to-earth’ implications too. We know that science teachers are also having a hard time maintaining children’s interest in and curiosity for life sciences.
To me, the future looks pretty grim and rather puzzling: At a time when so much is made of environmental protection and conservation, how are our children and grand-children to understand anything about it, and name the components of that environment, if it is turned into a remote, undescribable concept instead of remaining part of their reality, if only in imagination?
People tend to think that interpreters are having a good time traveling and visiting all sorts of wonderful places.
This is not always true, so it’s nice to have the kind of assignment that allows you to get a glimpse of a place. This time I was lucky to work two half-days, and to be in a place where you can walk practically everywhere.
The weather was nice, although not at that time of the day. Still… I like this picture of Strasbourg. A couple of others are to be found on Flickr.
