WHERE IS THE BEST FRENCH SPOKEN?
Standard French is spoken throughout France, and, while accents vary (southern French has more of a “twang”), there are no real dialects. Wherever you go in France, if you speak to educated people their French will be a good model. Some people say the “best” French is spoken in central France, but it’s a bit like saying the best English is spoken in Oxford – not very meaningful.
WHAT IS THE BEST ACCENT TO ADOPT?
Again, any educated French person will be a good model. It is probably best to avoid the southern twang.
I’VE HEARD ABOUT FAMILIAR LANGUAGE, OR SLANG – CAN YOU EXPLAIN?
French people commonly use “slang” words as an alternative to standard words when in informal situations. An example would be “flotte” for water. It’s nice to learn some of these, but you would not usually use them in a more formal situation. We plan to put a section on this familiar language in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), to which, once enrolled, you have access.
If you join us as a student, you will find lots more useful info in the Study Zone, to which you will have password access.