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As a young woman, I was accepted to the Sorbonne to study for my doctoral degree. My fluency in French was not good but serviceable, my reading comprehension superior.
While the reading comprehension has not changed, my ability to retain even grammar or vocabulary with which any intermediate French student is conversant...de mal en pire. This has to do with speaking with native French speakers I encounter in New Brunswick. I freeze up, in a way I would not have done as a young woman. I'm now 58 and wonder if retaining the ability to speak a foreign language declines with age, or if being tongue-tied may have to do with communicating with everyday people outside ivory tower situations.
These brain freezes are troubling me. It has been almost thirty years since I was slated for the doctoral degree, yes, but I should have retained more than I have.
As I'm sure you're aware, learning a foreign language is a use it or lose it proposition. I would imagine you've had regular exposure to French reading material, but sporadic opportunity to practice your speech. Perfectly normal.
freezing up is common. i know lots of people with advanced degrees that read and write great french but have trouble speaking and understanding. but they are improving slowly. biggest obstacle at their age is hearing.
the bottom line. you must continue to take weekly classes if you dont you will lose it.
btw i was there in paris last week went back to my old neighborhood and church after 37 years. it was great.
Yesterday, an Acadian-French-speaking person visited, and I realized that part of my "freeze" was due to an anticipatory fear that "Over-There-French" (i.e., not Quebecois) would not be understood by her. Thank you both very much. By no means am I implying that I speak "Over-There-French" like Kristin Scott Thomas. The extremely broad Acadian pronunciation of the language, the palatalization and--and whatever the opposite of palatalization is--of the language, makes for a four-way Stop Sign: 1) my halting French, period; 2) my fear of being understood; 3) my fear of not being familiar with this patois; and 4) my anticipation of a conversation partner's "ear problem."
Last edited by Purplecow; 11-30-2014 at 03:31 AM..
Reason: wrong word choice
As a young woman, I was accepted to the Sorbonne to study for my doctoral degree. My fluency in French was not good but serviceable, my reading comprehension superior.
While the reading comprehension has not changed, my ability to retain even grammar or vocabulary with which any intermediate French student is conversant...de mal en pire. This has to do with speaking with native French speakers I encounter in New Brunswick. I freeze up, in a way I would not have done as a young woman. I'm now 58 and wonder if retaining the ability to speak a foreign language declines with age, or if being tongue-tied may have to do with communicating with everyday people outside ivory tower situations.
These brain freezes are troubling me. It has been almost thirty years since I was slated for the doctoral degree, yes, but I should have retained more than I have.
No. Normally the ability to retain a language doesn't decline. It sounds like perhaps some mild anxiety issues are getting in the way for you. Maybe if you found a class, or organized a meetup group, that would allow you to get your French back up to speed (or to even surpass your earlier speaking skills!), you'd feel more confident, and it would come more naturally. I think you'd find your previous skill level coming back to you fairly quickly, and then you could continue building, if you want. I'm hoping to start resurrecting some old language skills, myself.
I just watched "A Most Wanted Man," the LeCarre-based film starring Philip Seymour Hoffmann. Some viewers criticized the lack of German dialogue in the film, but I, rather, thought of how strongly immersion is needed in order to master a language.
I just watched "A Most Wanted Man," the LeCarre-based film starring Philip Seymour Hoffmann. Some viewers criticized the lack of German dialogue in the film, but I, rather, thought of how strongly immersion is needed in order to master a language.
Thanks to everyone for suggestions and support.
You can create your own immersion. Either find an intermediate class that will allow you to audit until you gain confidence and can participate, or organize a meetup group of French speakers, native and non-native. Then get a course of CD-s or DVD's to listen to daily. Soak it up from the DVD's. Let your ears do the work for you. Play French in your car while driving every day, as well as at home. Practice French in your imagination as you're going about your day. You'll notice an improvement.
Your local community college will have French classes, or you can look up the Alliance Francaise, to see if they have classes in your area. Think positive. Don't stress out. Imagine a positive outcome. Visualize yourself having fun with it. Get jiggy with it.
You can create your own immersion. Either find an intermediate class that will allow you to audit until you gain confidence and can participate, or organize a meetup group of French speakers, native and non-native. Then get a course of CD-s or DVD's to listen to daily. Soak it up from the DVD's. Let your ears do the work for you. Play French in your car while driving every day, as well as at home. Practice French in your imagination as you're going about your day. You'll notice an improvement.
Your local community college will have French classes, or you can look up the Alliance Francaise, to see if they have classes in your area. Think positive. Don't stress out. Imagine a positive outcome. Visualize yourself having fun with it. Get jiggy with it.
God bless you, Ruth4Truth. The reason I am stressing out about it: I learned that an immersion J.D. degree is available in New Brunswick. As a young woman in the early 80's I was offered, accepted, and messed up three full scholarships to law school. In mid-life, I had to represent myself pro se in court on several occasions and did so, if I can say this without sounding like a fool, victoriously. There is nothing I would give more than for a chance to rectify a not-totally-but-somewhat-misspent youth and apply to this program.
I just wish, wish, wish that Americans could get part-time jobs in French-speaking Canada. A DollarMart employee, the kindest Acadian-French woman I've met, talked about my "freezes" with me a few weeks ago, and her advice was verbatim to yours. She told me that until she had to live in Fredericton, she was terrified to speak English. When she had no choice but to speak it, her fear went away.
Yesterday, an Acadian-French-speaking person visited, and I realized that part of my "freeze" was due to an anticipatory fear that "Over-There-French" (i.e., not Quebecois) would not be understood by her. Thank you both very much. By no means am I implying that I speak "Over-There-French" like Kristin Scott Thomas. )
Speaking from experience, it could be that to a person in northern Maine or NW NB with little exposure to ''over there French'', especially one with only basic education, might actually find your Kristin Scott Thomas French easier to understand than rapid-fire Parisian French from a native speaker from France.
Anglophones who speak passable French tend to speak slowly and fully enunciate most syllables and avoid colloquialisms. It's often easier for some people to understand that someone with native speaker fluency who just lets loose without any hangups.
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This has to do with speaking with native French speakers I encounter in New Brunswick. I freeze up, in a way I would not have done as a young woman. I'm now 58 and wonder if retaining the ability to speak a foreign language declines with age, or if being tongue-tied may have to do with communicating with everyday people outside ivory tower situations. 
To mcsangel and Huckleberry:
