Claire Palo
Studying the French language has taught me a lot about the cultural differences that exist in verbal and nonverbal communication. To reach French competency, I took French 101 and 102 at MNSU and during the summer I took three quarters of French through Oregon State University which are equivalent to MSNU’s French 201 and 202. In French 101 and 102, I began to understand the difference that exits between French culture and American culture. A group project that I completed in French 101 involved making a video that showed a cultural miscommunication. I wrote a paper in English that explain the video, which was in French. The cultural miscommunication that we chose, involved the differences that exits between Americans and the French in having dinner. The French prefer to sit down and have long dinners while Americans usually eat dinner quickly. In the French culture it is customary to arrive fifteen minutes late to a dinner party, while in American culture that would be rude. In French 202, I had the opportunity to look more deeply into a French territory. I chose to look at the island Vanuatu, and researched its geographical makeup, agriculture, its national dish, and population. I wrote the research paper in French, which allowed me to experience how written French varies from English. In French 201 and 202, I was able to learn more about the differences that exist between the French that is spoken in France and the French that is spoken in previous French territories.
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