"Bonjour"" doesn't always mean just "hello"

Quintessential Canada

Two weeks in Canada!    My mind is still whirling, thinking about the hospitable people that we met, the beautiful locales, and the language experiences that kept my brain well entertained.

If you have been following this blog, you may know that I had been trying to breathe some life into my knowledge of the French language before visiting Quebec and Nova Scotia.  My study of French has stretched over a lifetime, but it has been spotty and irregular, and never put to the acid test - actually communicating with a French speaking person.  So you may be asking the logical question, "Well, did you use any French on your trip?"

The answer is Yes and No. I understood quite a bit of French, but I spoke very little.  But isn't that what the language learning experts say we should do-spend a long period comprehending before we speak?   And my introverted personality feels very comfortable with that philosophy.

Stephen Krashen, noted language acquisition expert, describes a phenomenon that he labeled the "din in the head."  It is the sensation when you are comprehending enough input in the new language that you start to hear it in your own mind.  Beginning with the conversations of passengers lining up for the flight from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Montreal, I felt a change in atmosphere from monolingual English to bilingual English-French. Upon arrival, the Montreal Airport was a model of bilingualism, with announcements, signs, and conversations in two languages.  So many French learning opportunities, there for the asking.  Before long, the "din in my head" in French began.

Welcome/Bienvenue to Halifax

It was fascinating to see official bilingualism at work in Canada.  People who deal with tourists have a quick way of determining which language, French or English, you want to speak. They greet you in two languages ("Bonjour, Good morning") , and the one you respond in is what they use.

I always have to remind myself in foreign countries that I can't treat tourist situations like my own personal classroom. Those busy making a living are focused on getting their jobs done, not listening to my attempts to use their language or giving me a free grammar lesson. But how I longed to at least utter a few memorized phrases in French before I left Canada.  Surely I could say "Bonjour," "Merci beaucoup," or "De rien" to indicate that I am a language lover.  I must have been carrying that thought around in my subconscious.

It was 4:30 am and very dark on the train between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Quebec City.  The sleeping car attendant had given us specific instructions the night before.  He would wake us by knocking lightly on our door.  If we knocked back, he would know we were awake.  Our special stop at Charny was scheduled for 5:20 am. I responded confidently to the polite tapping on the door.

Early morning ablutions were a bit hectic (in a sleeper with a tiny bathroom- see below) when there was another knock on the door.

The train all purpose bathroom

Hey, wait a minute, my foggy brain said.  There wasn't supposed to be a second knock. Murder on the Orient Express came to mind.  Should I open the door?  I made a split second decision to do so.  

The polite sleeping car attendant said "Bonjour, Good Morning." I made the fatal mistake of answering "Bonjour," which meant I was given rapid fire very important instructions IN FRENCH that our train was arriving early and that we needed to proceed to an exit several cars down .  I caught the gist, but not the details. My husband Wayne would kill me if I didn't get the information right!  I had to eat humble pie and request the information in English.

But I am not deterred.  We have bilingual Canadian friends visiting us in El Paso in several months. I had better get to work on that French MOOC that I am halfway through.  À bientôt!

Oops!  Better know some basic French at this stop sign!