The French language has character. French culture and history seem to seep out from underneath the very sound and rhythm of it in a way unlike any other language. And the peculiarities of written French - its disconnection between the written and spoken form, the complicated spelling, the rules and exceptions to the rules and exceptions to the exceptions, its contractions and accent marks - all give it some of its characteristic look and feel. A "Qu'est-ce que c'est" here and an "Ah! ça c'est drôle" there, and you know without a doubt it's French.

Learning French is relatively easy for a native speaker of English or another Roman language. But, you have to want to learn it. Learning French has its challenges. French pronunciation is hard. There are few languages so demanding of the speaker. And still, while the French have a reputation for being standoff-ish to those who don't speak French, or speak only poorly, they truly appreciate the effort of those who try to learn it. And the key word there is try. They will demand a real attempt at proper pronunciation. And that can be a challenge.

Native English speakers have their pronounced Rs and twangy consonants, though they let a lot of things slide through their teeth. The French are much more subtle, rolling everything together with liaison (connecting the ending sound of one word to the beginning of the next) and producing the R from the back of the throat. Last year, I tried to help Francesca, a friend, to pronounce Reuilly as the French would, when we hit on the crux of the matter. If she paid attention and didn’t bouge sa bouche, Reuilly glides out with ease and a French flair. It’s a good trick to help ameliorate the English pronunciation of French words: never let them move their mouth. Not that the French never move their lips, but I think our speech patterns were developed partly out of a preference to save our mouth energy for other, more important things, like eating and kissing, perhaps.

Thankfully, French vocabulary is relatively easy. There are a lot of cognates between French and English. Which makes reading French a little easier than many other languages. Once you learn these words, they will stay with you a long time. Most native English speakers have some knowledge of the French language. Whether they just know how to say hello(bonjour) or yes (oui), snippets of the French language have long been accessible. French is also known as a language of romance. The French lover whispering sweet things into the ear of their lover is a common stereotype.

However, the truth is French is not an easy language to learn. The accent takes much practice and the grammar is very strict and complicated. French is also a very formal language in comparison to English. Then, the challenge of learning and surprise yourself can be very rewarding. Many are obsessed with losing their accent when they speak French. Instead, I find that unfortunate because it gives an extra charm to the language. The French have already various regional accents, yours would only add to the melodious symphony.