English is euphemistic and soft, and French is romantic and gorgeous. There are many similarities between English and French, but there are also many differences.
Some words in English actually come from French. Some meanings are basically the same, but some meanings are slightly changed, such as travail, which is also found in English. But this kind of vocabulary has a characteristic, that is, it is a very common word in French, and it has become a very common word in English. If you use it well, it will be elegant; if you use it badly, it will be elegant. For another example, fé licication and congratulations are the same meaning, which actually exist in both English and French, but fé licication is rarely used in English and congratulations are rarely used in French.
The pronunciation of English words is not as regular as that of French, with many exceptions, while the pronunciation of French words is relatively regular and easy to master. The intonation of the whole English sentence is tortuous and rhythmic, while the intonation of the French sentence is gentle.
There are many similarities between English and French grammar, but there are also significant differences. For example, direct object personal pronouns, indirect object personal pronouns, parapronouns and some articles are all characteristics of French. English tense concept is different from French, which is often difficult to distinguish. French verbs have yin and yang, but English doesn't, and the corresponding change of sex number caused by this yin and yang is a remarkable feature that French has but English doesn't. Both English and French change word order or words because of the beauty of sentences, but French seems to be more extreme. You can use this word or that word in a sentence, so for the sake of more harmonious phonology, you choose a word and say why, but there is nothing. In this respect, French vocabulary is richer than English. The word order of French will change because of different words (English also has it, but French is more obvious. I want to go to my room.
Comparison: I like a small pen.
Reflexive personal pronouns in French are not found in English either. In this respect, French has rich expressions, such as looking in the mirror, saying Sergard dansle mirroir, while English has no such way.
There are many differences and similarities between English and French in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and discourse. I can't explain it clearly at the moment, but I have the opportunity to elaborate in detail.
In the Louis XIV era, French became an elegant language.
According to the number of people who use it,
At present, the languages in the world are Chinese, Hindi, Spanish,
English, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French.
However, the only languages used in the world are English and French.
An era of pride in speaking French.
English and French not only have the same 26 letters, but also have little difference in the writing of many words. This is because they belong to the Indo-European language family, and France once occupied Britain.
1066 65438+ 10 In October, Edward the Confessor, King of England, died and Harold II ascended the throne. Guillaume, the duke "conqueror" who ruled Normandy at that time, saw the opportunity, so he took advantage of Edward's promise to let him inherit the throne, and led Normandy nobles and knights from France to cross the land and sea in southern England. Harold II led the guards and civilian troops to meet in a hurry and was killed by an arrow. Guillaume took advantage of the situation to occupy London and became the king of England, driving the English nobles out of the court and replacing them with French nobles. As a result, a large number of old French words have entered English, so English words are mainly composed of French-derived words.
France reached its peak in the17th century and became a typical feudal monarchy in western Europe. King Louis XIV combined political, military and financial powers and established an unprecedented absolute kingship, known as the "Sun King". The classical culture serving the kingship prospered and developed, and a set of hierarchical rules and etiquette appeared. At that time, everything in France, from court decoration, etiquette to literature and art, became an example for European courts to imitate, thus making the influence of classicism last for one or two hundred years in Europe.
The most prominent in this respect is the influence of French. Medieval scholars only wrote in Latin, so ancient French was relatively poor. In the Renaissance, a school of poetry named "Seven-Star Poetry Society" appeared in France. In order to enrich French, the poet absorbed a lot of ancient Greek and Latin words, various jargon terms and folk slang, which made French very complicated. Classicism pays attention to unity and standardization. For this reason, Prime Minister Li Yu 1635 established the French Academy, stipulating that the number of academicians should always be 40, so that they can enjoy lofty honors, and the task entrusted to them is to compile dictionaries and purify French. This dictionary was compiled from 1639, and it was not published until 1694 after two generations' efforts.
Academicians unified various dialects, formulated grammatical rules, and completed the task of purifying French, making French the most standardized, clear and accurate language. From the end of 17, French replaced Latin as the international diplomatic language. At that time, the upper class in Europe was proud of speaking French. In Russia, aristocrats over 18 cannot get married without speaking French. Famous writers at that time, even Queen Catherine II, could write in French. French is sometimes mixed in the novels of Russian writers such as Turgenev, which is the trace of French influence. Therefore, it can be said that from 17 to 19 century, although French did not have the worldwide influence like English today, it has formed a French context in Europe.
How did French decline?
Since18th century, a series of major social changes have taken place in France, such as the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Napoleon's rule over Europe, the Paris Commune and so on. The historical events known to these people have made France the center of the world's attention, affecting Europe and even the whole world.
At the same time, after a series of external expansion, France occupied a large number of colonies at the end of 19, such as Vietnam and Cambodia in Asia and Haiti in America, especially from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in North Africa to Congo and Togo in West Africa. After the independence of these colonies, many countries still use French as the official language.
However, since the death of Louis XIV, France has generally declined. For example, Quebec, Canada, originally belonged to France, and 1762 was handed over to Britain. The name Louisiana comes from King Louis XIV of France, and France sold it to the United States in 1803. Napoleon's hegemony was opposed by European countries and finally defeated by the anti-French Coalition forces at Waterloo. One of the consequences is the decline of French.
Correspondingly, Britain, an old colonial empire, has spread English all over the world. Later, with the growing strength of the United States, the influence of English is naturally growing. 19 18 At the end of World War I, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, American President Wilson and British Prime Minister Lloyd? George doesn't even know French, so they insist on using English. Since then, English has been used in diplomatic texts and has the same effect as French. The Marshall Plan of 1948 brought American culture to Europe. Later, with the growth of American national strength and economic globalization, especially the development of the contemporary Internet, the hegemony of English in language and culture has been constantly strengthened, and people who don't know English can hardly move, which has also shaken France's position as a literary and cultural center.
English cannot rule the world!
Until now, French is still considered as the international language. For example, in important international occasions such as the Olympic Games, French is usually spoken before English. In important international negotiations, French texts are also essential. Nevertheless, more and more people in the world are learning English, and the usage rate of French is declining. Even international conferences held in France use English more than French.
English words even invade French in turn, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the French who have always been proud of French. Of course, the French government is very unwilling, so it allocates a lot of money every year and spares no effort to promote French all over the world in an effort to maintain its status as a "great country language".
The French nation's pursuit of novelty makes Paris still an important birthplace of various new literary trends and schools in the 20th century. France's long humanitarian tradition has always made Paris a holy place for exiled writers. France has always been able to absorb foreign cultures and the splendid culture created by the French nation, and has contributed classic writers and artists and their works to the world, which has an irreplaceable position in the eyes of the world.
Therefore, just as French, which had a great influence in the17th century, did not make English disappear, today's English, no matter how influential it is, cannot replace French and other languages. Apart from the opposite side, there are also complementary and mutually inspiring sides between world culture and national culture. For example, at the end of 19, European culture invaded Latin America, but Latin American culture did not die out because of it, but eclectically developed into a relatively independent and complete system, which finally shocked the world with magical realism.
Therefore, the prospect of global context is not dominated by English, but while English continues to expand its influence, various cultures with national characteristics will also develop, which will lead to the mutual influence and blending of the two, thus promoting the prosperity of world literature and culture.