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The Story of French

By Jean-Benoit Nadeau, Julie Barlow

(2)

| Hardcover | 9780312341831

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Book Description

Why does everything sound better if it's said in French? That fascination is at the heart of The Story of French, the first history of one of the most beautiful languages in the world that was, at one time, the pre-eminent language of literature, science and diplomacy. Nadeau and Barlow charContinue

Why does everything sound better if it's said in French? That fascination is at the heart of The Story of French, the first history of one of the most beautiful languages in the world that was, at one time, the pre-eminent language of literature, science and diplomacy. Nadeau and Barlow chart the history of a language spoken as a native tongue by 130 million people around the globe. The first document written in the French was signed by the sons of Charlemagne in 832. After this, Latin was purged from the courts of France by Francois 1st, giving root to French speakers' 21st century obsession with language protection. The obsession progressed as Cardinal Richelieu established the French Academy, a group entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the language pure and eloquent. As French circled the globe, the international cast of characters included Montaigne, Catherine the Great, Frederic II of Prussia, the guides of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Jules Verne, and others. Let Nadeau and Barlow guide you through the story of a language used to write some of the world's great masterpieces of literature, construct some of the most important documents of diplomacy, bedevil millions with its vagaries of pronunciation and beguile everyone with its beauty.

Critics

  • The Story of French: From Charlemagne to The Cirque du Soleil

    In The Story of French Nadeau and Barlow present a potted history of French, emphasizing culture and politics and language policies but also touching on linguistics. The story begins with the early history of French and its origins as a fusion of dia ... (read full critics)

    dannyreviews published on Tue, 24 Aug 2010

1 Review

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    Interesting but popularist

    This was a great read, but definitely written for a popular audience. At all the points where I wanted more detail, they gloss over the subject matter and move on to other topics. It is a good starting point to wet the appetite - the bibliography looks promising. All in all, I recommend this book.

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    Leah said on Mar 22, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

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  • English Books
  • Hardcover 496 Pages
  • ISBN-10: 0312341830
  • ISBN-13: 9780312341831
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Pub date: Nov 14, 2006
  • Dimensions: 1548 mm x 1032 mm x 258 mm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Paperback
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9780312341831 Hardcover $25.95 -- The Book Depository
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