Culture Shock at Nice, France
One aspect I often hear about from overseas travellers visiting France is the language barrier. I once experienced the confusion myself when I spoke plain English to French people in Paris and they didn’t respond. I think this similarly applies to other regions in France too.
French people are very proud of their language and culture. As English becomes an important language around the world, many French people tend not to speak it in order to preserve the French language and prevent its invasion. Additionally, it is often less preferable to communicate in English with older French people because, historically, France and England have been enemies for a long time. Even if they know English, they may prefer not to speak it (Marie-Just French It 2023).
Based on my personal experience, I felt a moment of cold sweat and awkwardness when an old French cashier responded me in French, which I did not understand. After my French friend explained the ‘English-French phenomenon’ to me, I felt both confused and gained an understanding of their unwillingness to speak English.
Get hanbi_zhao’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
To minimise this ‘culture confusion’, I recommend learning some common French phrases or keeping notes on daily-used expressions, and always greeting with ‘Bonjour’ first to show of respect, regardless of whether they speak English or not. Most importantly, keep an open mind if they avoid speaking English!
Reference:
Marie — Just French It. 2023. “Why French People Correct Your French and Dislike Speaking English”. Medium (blog), April 14, 2023. https://medium.com/@JustFrenchIt/why-french-people-correct-your-french-and-dislike-speaking-english-dcd32961e06e
