" To speak another language is to have another soul." - Charlemagne
So I came across this beautiful french song by Yves Duteuil which I used in my French class as well. I used it with the beginners. Though the problem here with the majority of students is that they are least bothered. Since French is a 2 credit value added course, who cares? But that doesn't deter me to not introduce them to the marvels of learning a foreign language.
Learning a foreign language is not only about the language and its various manifestations in the form of literature, cinema, songs, etc . In fact, language is an indispensable part of our being. All these words that we know in any language float around freely until we feel the need to express ourselves and then we weave them into phrases. Some are endowed with innate ability to make use of the language as beautifully as possible. However, one can cultivate the language by reading, listening to songs, watching movies, in short practicing the language.
When I had registered myself as a student of French, in the very first classes, our teachers would tell us to think in this language that we had begun to learn. They would also ask us to dream in the same language. I remember once, when I was so obsessed with this idea of dreaming in French that I actually in my sleep was uttering words in French. As I was in 1st year that time, I must have used some of the very initial words or expressions like Bonjour, je m'appelle..., je viens de ...
Another instance that I remember very vividly is one of my professors introducing us to the pleasure of using the language. He taught us Oral Expressions in First year. He dared us to talk in French for 5 minutes in the beginning on any random topic. As any beginner would feel, we also assumed that it was almost an impossible task. But with sheer practice at the end of the whole year we could speak on any topic for 15 minutes of course a little time to prepare we needed. Our professor would ask us to let our imagination run as far as it could. And his topics did require a little bit of imagination. One of the topics he had asked in the very first classes was "Un rat dans mot ventre" (A rat in my stomach). No wonder at the end of the year we had started feeling confident about speaking.
Well, it is a beautiful journey when you learn a new language or for that matter anything novel. So let us just hit the link below and listen to the song whose title is "Apprendre" - To learn. Below the link is also the lyrics of the song in French. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWdQkWvzrYM
Sous le soleil la terre se fend
Pour cet homme et pour son enfant,
Après le puits qu'il faut creuser
Il reste un sillon à tracer...
Sans attendre...
Apprendre ...
À lire, à écrire, à compter
Ouvrir les portes encore fermées
Sur ce savoir accumulé
Qu'on lui en donne un jour la clé
Il a le monde à sa portée...
Lire... Apprendre à lire entre les lignes
Découvrir la magie des signes
Et les trésors inépuisables
Qu'on emporte dans son cartable
Comprendre...
C'est comme un mur que l'on traverse
C'est la brume qui se disperse
Une promesse encore plus belle
La connaissance universelle
Compter...
Apprendre à compter sur soi-même
À compter pour ceux qui vous aiment
Pour faire aussi partie du nombre
Pouvoir enfin sortir de l'ombre
Comprendre...
Combien la vie peut être belle
Et se mettre à compter pour elle
Faire la somme de sa différence
Et se soustraire à l'ignorance
Ècrire...
Apprendre à écrire son histoire
À la plume et au crayon noir
En appliquant son écriture
Raconter sa propre aventure...
Surprendre...
Cueillir ses mots comme des fleurs
Semer des graines au long des cœurs
Confier son âme et sa mémoire
A celui qui viendra plus tard
Pour cet enfant à son pupitre
Tirer la langue sur le titre
Ècrire son nom sur son cahier
C'est plonger vers sa liberté.
