Coucou les membres de la communauté,
Today, I’d like to share some thoughts on language acquisition that have evolved over time.
As you know, I’ve long been a staunch advocate for the power of comprehensible input in achieving fluency.
While I still firmly believe in its effectiveness, I’ve come to realize that there’s wisdom in the above French saying which translates to “Only fools never change their minds“.
Over the years, I’ve broadened my perspective to recognize the value of comprehensible output as well. While input remains crucial, I now see the benefits of incorporating some output activities, particularly self-talk, to build confidence in speaking.
This shift in thinking has led me to explore new ways to support your French journey.
Pronunciation Videos
In light of this evolved perspective, I’ve begun creating pronunciation videos to help you develop confidence in speaking French.
These videos are designed with a specific purpose: to train your mouth, tongue, and facial muscles for French speech.
Each language has its unique way of utilizing these physical elements, and French is no exception. Some key characteristics of French pronunciation include:
- Forward lip positioning for many vowel sounds
- Nasal vowels that require air to pass through both the mouth and nose
- The subtle “r” sound produced at the back of the throat
- Liaison and elision, where words are linked or sounds are dropped in connected speech
Our latest pronunciation video focuses on the phrase “J’ai bien/mal dormi”
Click here to watch it!
This seemingly simple expression provides an excellent opportunity to practice several important aspects of French pronunciation.
French Reader Book Club Update
This new pronunciation video served as a warm-up for our recent French Reader Book Club session.
On Friday, we used it to kickstart basic conversations with confidence before diving into our reading material. While it’s too late to join this particular session, you can still benefit from the experience by purchasing the recordings.
Click here to access the Reader Book Club’s replays!
If you are at a more advanced level, I also offer Book Club recordings where we explore authentic French literature together. Click here to access the Book Club’s replays. We are talking about “Mr Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran“.
A Word of Thanks
As always, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for being part of our vibrant community of French learners.
Your enthusiasm and dedication continue to inspire me
to innovate and improve our acquisition resources.
If you’ve found value in our programs, My Dear Man & I would greatly appreciate your support in the form of a review on Trustpilot. Click here to post your review!
Your feedback not only helps us grow but also assists other language learners in finding the right resources for their journey.
In fact, Dereck just shared today on Trustpilot:
The focus on storytelling is very comprehensive and I believe is the key to understanding the language. My favorite method (which is only possible due to the extraordinary structure of the site) is to read a story (each word can be clicked on to instantly provide a definition- in French), then listen and read along, the same story with the audio playback and finally watch and listen only to the video retelling of the story by Alice herself. With soo many stories on the site throughout the various stages, I believe it has been the greater advancer of my progress in the language.
Thanks Alice
Thank you for your continued trust and participation. Together, let’s embrace the joy of acquiring French, both through input and output!
Cordialement,