Names in the Francophone World

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked.

Our names identify us as individuals- first name, middle name, and last name – and it’s the first thing we share with a new acquaintance. As you may suspect, names in French aren’t always like names in English. Often they are variations, sometimes they are even the same, thanks to globalization, occasionally they are traditionally French. So what are some popular French names? Which names are borrowed from English? Which names come from other areas of the world?

Let’s first take a look at a Coca-Cola commercial from France. Pay attention to the names you see. Do any of them look familiar?

Click on the video below and take note of the different and familiar names you see.

some useful vocab:

• ceux que vous aimez = those/the people you love
• une canette = a can
• partagez un coca= share a Coke
• c’est sympa = it’s nice

What names did you see?

Many French names can be used for both men and women, sometimes with different spelling but the same pronunciation ( René, Renée), other times the name spelling is exactly the same for men and women (e.g. Dominique). For centuries, French names were mostly saints’ names, and recognizably “French” – but nowadays, many Arabic and English names are also popular, sometimes adapted into more French forms. You can see if your first name is common in France. This site lists the popular baby names. (Check “fréquence” and use the “statistiques” box.) What is the closest version to your name? Is it popular now, or in the past?

Notice that H is silent in French – in most circumstances it functions as a vowel.  Henri sounds like Enri.

What is your name?

L’Alphabet français

The French alphabet has the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, but many of the sounds are different. Some letters have accents which can change the way that a word is pronounced.  When spelling a word aloud, include the name of the accent after the letter.

Of course, the letters of the alphabet are pronounced differently in French . Pay particular attention to G, J, H, W and Y.   Here is a dramatic and memorable song to help you learn these new sounds. It rocks!

What similarities do you hear?

What differences do you hear?

Now you need to learn to isolate and practice each sound. Consult this site for more practice. Or click on each letter to hear the sound.

Let’s practice

Here is a comical video that demonstrates the difficulties that accents can bring.

Now, the final challenge. Figure out how to spell your name, first and last. Practice it over and over – it is important!

–Bonjour, Angela.

–Bonjour, Emmanuel

–Comment allez-vous ?

–Bien, merci. Et vous ?

–Pas mal, je vous remercie. Je suis content de vous revoir.

–C’est gentil, mais tout le plaisir est pour moi, Emmanuel.

–Salut, Léon Marchand!

–Salut, mes amis!

–Comment ça va, Léon?

–Très bien, je suis champion du monde!

Les salutations

Greetings are an important part of French culture. Every time you enter a shop or restaurant, you should  greet the shop keeper or wait staff with bonjour or bonsoir, depending on the time of day. When leaving, you should also be certain to acknowledge them with bonne journée or bonne soirée as well. When addressing someone, be sure to use the proper title. Monsieur (M.) for  a male of any age, married or single. Madame (Mme.) is used to for married women or women who are over 30, regardless of their marital status. Mademoiselle (Mlle) is used for young and unmarried women. Cultural note: As of December 2012, the title mademoiselle is no longer used on government documents. Instead, madame is used for women regardless of age or marital status. Today, the term mademoiselle is still used, though typically by older French speakers or to refer to  a young girl. The idea of a single title for women may seem like a recent subject of debate, but this was first adopted shortly after the 1789 French revolution when men were called citoyen (citizen) and women were called citoyenne (feminine form of citoyen). However, following the revolution, the old titles reappeared in society.  France is not the only country to make this change. In 1972 Germany dropped fräulein and in the same year, the U.S. Government Printing Office approved the use of Ms on official documents.

Let’s take a look at some French people greeting and introducing themselves now. 

What did you hear? What gestures did you see as people greet each other ? Non-verbal gestures, as you know, are an important way of communicating.

What do they mean? Figure out from context and match the French with its English equivalent. Then, watch again and number the order in which you hear each of these greetings.

Rencontres avec des Français.

Interpretation: Vidéo.

We have all kinds of variations on the ways we greet each other and tell our names. In English, you might say

“Hi!” “Hey, there” “What’s up?” or any of a number of other greetings. We might say “My name is Sammy” or we might say “I’m Sammy” or “I’m called Sammy.” French is the same way – there are many variations on how to say hello and introduce yourself. Let’s explore some more possibilities in French.

Click on the link “Salut” and watch the video of these middle school aged French kids and their greetings to each other.

Salut!

What different salutations do you hear? Jot them down.

What different ways do you hear to say your name? Jot them down.

What is a “surnom”? What “surnoms” did you hear?  Do you have a “surnom”?

What gestures did you see these French kids use?  Did you see them kiss each other on the cheek?  This is called “faire la bise.”

Gestures and Greetings: Faire la bise

In many French-speaking countries, people kiss each other on the cheek or shake hands when they meet. In everyday situations, female friends kiss, while men and mixed couples will kiss or shake hands depending on how well they know each other. The number of bises varies by region. There is even a website dedicated to the question of “combien de bises?” Not only does the number of bises differ by region, but the cheek that you start on can also vary by region, though in a majority of France and in Paris it is the right cheek. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to follow the native’s lead in order to avoid bumping noses.

Men will typically faire la bise with women and women will also do so with other women. Some men who are close friends or from the south will also faire la bise with each other, but if they do not know each other, they may se serrer la main (shake hands) instead. A French handshake is brief, firm, and typically a single downward shake. In a professional setting, whether or not to faire la bise depends on the company culture and how close colleagues are. A kiss or handshake is also given upon leaving, even if the two parties have been together only a few minutes.

Contrary to popular belief, la bise is not actually a kiss but rather a light grazing of the cheeks while making a light kissing noise in the air. There should not be any lip-to-cheek contact.

Watch the video below to learn how to faire la bise.

Interactions culturelles

How do Americans greet each other? We shake hands, the firmer the grasp the better (French people often grimace from this strong-handed contact). We also hug each other, sometimes with a pat on the back. For the French, hugging is as awkward as la bise is for Americans. The French do not  hug to greet others even friends and acquaintances with the only exception being children or lovers – it is an intimate gesture.

As a (now) funny example of cross-cultural awkwardness, after the November 2015 terrorist attacks on Paris, then Secretary of State John Kerry visited Paris and said “My visit to France is basically to share a big hug for Paris and express the affection of the American people for France and for our friends there who have been through a terrible time” on the eve of his trip which sparked confusion in the French media who struggled to pin down a translation for the word hug. The closest thing to it was le câlin, which is similar to a cuddle in English – you see the intimacy implied!

Take a look at the video of this awkward encounter between the two statesmen, John Kerry (on the right) and then French president François Hollande (on the left) on their meeting at the Elysée Palace.

What do you notice about their encounter?

This is a great example of how our cultural expectations sometimes interfere with our interactions with others. But a little instruction can straighten out any misunderstandings. Here are some instructions for French speakers on how to give  a hug.

Formality and Informality – forms of address in French

Vous and Tu

In French, there are contexts of formality and informality – word choice and even grammatical structures will change accordingly.  We do this in English, too. For example, a person will greet their close friend or family member differently than they would greet a job interviewer or judge (hey, what’s up? vs. good afternoon, how are you?). However, in French, there are decisions to be made :  two pronouns mean “you” – you have to choose between: tu and vous. Generally, tu is informal and used when speaking to one person you know. Kids and most teenagers will use tu with each other, even when meeting for the first time. Tu is also used on sports teams, when talking to God, children, animals, and inanimate objects. Using tu gives a sense of love, closeness, comraderie, and equality. When greeting, people who use tu with each other will usually faire la bise. The risk with using tu incorrectly, however, is that if used in the wrong instance, it can be interpreted as disrespectful, condescending, or demeaning. vous is used when addressing someone that you don’t know (formal) or addressing multiple people (plural). Vous is used in formal settings and indicates a respectful and/or distant relationship. It is used between strangers and service providers or when there is an unequal power distinction: such as between teachers and their students; doctors and their patients; policemen, waiters, clerks, receptionists, etc. People who use vous with each other typically shake hands: serrer la main. However, It is not uncommon for someone to initially address a colleague with vous and then switch to tu by asking “On peut se tutoyer ?”

When in doubt, it is best to let the other person speak first to see which address they choose. For example, if you’re introduced by someone who says Je vous présente… then you can conclude that vous should be used. If you’re not clear,  it’s best to start with vous .

Video

Géraldine Lepère is a Paris-born French language and lifestyle expert.  In her video, she talks about some of the real-world cases of using tu and vous, and many of her personal experiences where there’s not a straight-forward answer. She also gives us good advice about how to talk about this conundrum.

This graphic accessed through this link makes a visual flow-chart for us. It is quite funny – worth your time to get a laugh. Give it a look and see if the application follows along with the video you just watched.

Saying goodbye

The classic French “goodbye” is au revoir.  It is not pronounced as it looks, so listen carefully.

This expression is the default and can be used with anyone in any situation.

A few more expressions you will see and hear frequently are these:

This beautiful song – cette belle chanson – will help review what we’ve learned in this introductory chapter.

“Salut, c’est encore moi. Salut, comment tu vas … ”  Hello, it’s me again. Hello, how are you …