What is so romantic about French?!?

Question

Very truly sorry, yet this is just really driving me crazy!! What is it with people saying French is romantic??? France is romantic, French is beautiful, France this, France that-- what's wrong with all those people??? French is blunt, rude and nothing of beauty and romance, so again; what's the deal?

Thanks for reading and any answers (that are more than two words) ...!

P.S. I'm French, so don't tell me I don't have any sources!

Fabmaser6-- you're nice, but I have no idea why you're going on about how France is since I'm French (yes, of French ancestry. When I say I'm French, that's exactly what I mean!) and I live in France! And I've obviously gone in both the country and city here... so, sadly enough, most of what you said was useless. But thank you for all your time given anyway! :)

French a SOFT LANGUAGE??? Girl, from Quebec, maybe the French CANADIANS are quiet, but certainly not the French themselves!! Watch some shows of there; you'll see what I mean... they're terribly dramatic.

Answer 1

French is called a "Romance" language because like most languages in that area of Europe it was developed from Latin (the language of Rome)...

Beyond that however, it has a rhythm to it and a softness that sounds more pleasing than other languages (although I've heard beautiful things in many languages)...

This combined with Paris's history of being a romantic city as well as the other natural beauties of the country (the riviera and countryside) and being the world fashion center adds to the "romantic-ness" of French its self...

That's just my opinion (based on studying the history of English), but I hope it helped!

Answer 2

I'm French from Quebec-Canada. I just don't understand why you would say French is blunt and rude...Maybe it has something to do with your culture over there, I don't know. But I don't feel my language is bad. I'm proud of it and love it.

I hear French everyday so I don't think as well that it's romantic. I'm just used to it. But I can understand it could be for some people because it's a soft language.

Answer 3

French culture is the most beautiful in the world. French language is the language of gold. At one time France was the most powerful empire (a benevolent one) in the world. Long live France.

Answer 4

Well, French is a Romanic language because it was derived from the Roman language. In English, Romanic and Romantic mean the same thing. People take the romantic to heart thinking it means something different then what it does. This makes them prejudice for the language.
There also seems to be a lot of silent syllables. People also think that silence is romantic.
So, prejudice, lack of knowledge, and silence is what makes people think that French is a romantic language.

Answer 5

I think it comes from a stereotype that the French are more amorous than others. The accents and the fluidity of the language make it nice to hear. Just being a foreign country (I'm from the US) makes it a bit exotic, and France tends to conjure up images of chateaus and countryside, and the immediate association "Paris is for lovers" and all the sightseeing there. Pop culture doesn't help either, for example Casablanca. (I also for some reason keep thinking about the skunk from Looney Tunes)

Answer 6

Well France in my opinion is beautiful (I'm your neighbor, from Spain, and I've been there twice).

In my case I like a lot french, but I don't think it's romantic, I only like the way of speaking it and for me it's easy to understand because of the similitudes with Spanish...

French people, I think they are like the rest... But those are the country topics, at least the rest of the world think you're romantic, when people think about Spain, are thinking in bullfighters and gitans...

So, be proud of being French, France is more than all those topics, is full of culture and history, romantic is only a part of human character, nothing to do with nationality...

Answer 7

A person who lives in France told me that when french people die, it is not sin that sends them to hell-- it is when they find out that God is not French.
You know what I witnessed in Israel at a world convocation in 1998--fulfillment of Zechariah 8:22/23. The French delegation were acting very "French" on God's holy hill in disobedience to Psalm 24:3 and all of a sudden, the music stopped and amid the unexplained silence, at least 1 dozen people began to speak at the same time: "I will not accept your fleshy worship." Within a twinkling of an eye--Carnal elation turned to gut-wrenching tears into mourning. God spoke through the mouths of many saying that He was not impressed. The same people continued that unless the churches in France stopped doing--and a list of things were given--that He God would visit them with series of mishaps. The celebratory mood turned sombre immediately. African Bishops and Jewish leaders hurriedly planned intercessionary prayers and intercessionary meetings in France. God's word says: He that humbleth himself shall be exalted and there is a flip side also. I watched the biggest humbling a nation could ever receive --on the biggest spiritual stage. It was not only humbling; it was frightening. pray you never witness the Lord God's anger.

Boaz.

Answer 8

I agree. No offense, but I don't see anything particularly romantic about the French. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being French, and there are many great things about it, and many beautiful romantic French people, but they are people just like everyone else. There are good and bad things about the French, just as with every other culture and group.

Answer 9

Hi! Where are you from in France? That may help with the question/answer process too...unless you claim French ancestry, which basically would be quite different from being French. The P.S. mention makes me wonder. But let's move on to answering the question.

#1: Most Americans who go to France go to Paris. Paris is not representative of France. It is like Europeans going to NYC and comparing someone from a small town in IA to a New Yorker. It is completely different! Yet, many Americans make that comparison with French overall, when all they know of are a small number of Parisians that they may encounter. How many learn simple terms like greetings in French when they visit Paris?

#2. Too often, it has little to do with the people or the language, but the culture. We hope to find a mirror image of the social view of where we go similar to where we are from. I have been speaking French for 30 years now, and lived there for close to 20 years. Often times, there is confusion.

For instance, when you go eat out in France (outside of Paris, and not a cafe), you get there, and then you just sit down, and many feel their waiters are ignoring them (instead the waiter is just allowing a good 5-10 minutes for you to make yourself comfortable and gather your thoughts). In France (vs. Paris), people don't go out every day like they do here. The average person eats out for dinner about once every other week if they are doing well for themselves, but most of the time in the "France profonde" they do that maybe once every other month.

When the French go out to, it is not to eat. It is a social outing vs. going out to eat. The French can eat at home just as well. That's a huge difference. That is why, in France, you have your table for the entire duration of your meal, whether it lasts 1 hour (very rarely as you may not be done with your meal by then since everything is prepared fresh, vs re-heated as is the case in some chain restaurants. For instance, when you order pasta, the pasta is cooked just for you, not pre-cooked in a big bowl) or all night. In America, we focus mostly on turnaround in order for the waiter to get his or her tip. In France, tip is included in the price, and they need not be concerned about turnaround.

About the language, I don't know why people think it is a romantic language. I have been speaking it for a long time, and it was my second language. I find Spanish or Russian more appealing as romantic language. But overall, it would be quite subjective. Why do people love what they love? They may just be more sensitive to the vibes of the language.

Try reading these if interested, which gives a practical approach to what it's like to live in France as an expat: A year in the merde by Stephen Clarke (British guy) and Me talk pretty one day (David Sedaris). True views (god and not-so-good) or people who actaly experience what it's like to live in France (vs. enjoying a week or 2 in Paris or cosmopolitan areas in France)

Answer 10

I have no idea. A lot of people think it flows well, and that pretty much everything sounds nice when it's said in French, compared to another language.

Personally, I like German, Norwegian, and Icelandic. :3 But I'm also a bit strange.