
Miscellaneous
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Publicité.avi Publicité.srt Publicité.doc Publicité.mp3 |
These are very difficult. The pace of the voices is fast, the style informal, the vocabulary often very modern. Note however - they are designed to be easily understandable by native speakers ! |
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ANousRepublique.avi ANousRepublique.srt ANousRepublique.doc ANousRepublique.mp3 |
Listen carefully to the bit where he says that handicapped people - presumably blind - should be able to right-click on an image to hear an audio account of what the image shows ! |
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Amadeus.avi Amadeus.srt Amadeus.doc Amadeusmp3 |
This is very representative of what I'm trying to offer as Level 2 clips. It's reasonably clear, but it doesn't give you every word separately as happens with documentary voiceovers. The brain has to fill in the gaps |
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Ouvrard.avi Ouvrard.srt Ouvrard.doc Ouvrard.mp3 |
Although the speed of this patter
song makes it a Level 3, notice how clear is the diction of this music
hall entertainer ! |
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Experiences.avi Experiences.srt Experiences.doc Experiences.mp3 |
In between the scientific bits from the presenter, the conversations show well what we're trying to get the ear to pick up - the style of idiomatic French. Not easy. |
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TM091113.avi TM091113.srt TM091113.doc TM091113.mp3 |
What makes the first half difficult to follow is not just the speed, but also the incoherence of the presentation. Hang on in there, though. By contrast, the second half offers some challenges of vocabulary, like 'qui en fit et ses supports et ses suppôts' ! |
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Zygel.avi Zygel.srt Zygel.doc Zygel.mp3 |
Anglophones tend to describe the French voice as 'nasal'. Not true, it has the mellow resonance of a cello. Listen to Jean-François Zygel ! |
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PierreBachelet.avi PierreBachelet.srt PierreBachelet.doc PierreBachelet.mp3 |
I don't normally include songs because you can always get the words off the Internet, and they are not very good transcription exercises. So this is just for the pleasure of the songs... |
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MuseeToulouse.avi MuseeToulouse.srt MuseeToulouse.doc MuseeToulouse.mp3 |
Laurence Piquet's diction is perfect. If you have a tendency to 'roll' the French 'r' as if you were permanently in a chanson by Piaf, listen to this lady |
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Apocalypse.avi Apocalypse.srt Apocalypse.doc Apocalypse.mp3 |
There is considerable linguistic interest in this piece. The presenter speaks very quickly, but very clearly. You often have to pick up the sense of what he says without necessarily catching every word. And the chilling series of prophecies make for some nice formal French |
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Art.avi Art.srt Art.doc Art.mp3 |
As is often the case with surrealist theatre - Ionesco is the great example - the dialogue Level-1. But when the voices speed up ... the we have to work a little. |
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8Journalistes.avi 8Journalistes.srt 8Journalistes.doc 8Journalistes.mp3 |
You should have no difficulty following this Level-1 extract. I include it because we don't often have examples from television of this well-written formal French |
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Churchill.avi Churchill.srt Churchill.doc Churchill.mp3 |
Discussions are very good sources of 'incoherent language', of false starts, repetitions; and also, rapid speech, people speakin g one on top of another. But this one isn't too bad. A Level-2 |
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Barnaby.avi Barnaby.srt Barnaby.doc Barnaby.mp3 |
The dialogue is always very clear, but the fast-paced action lends a little difficulty, making it a Level-2 |
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FE-GuyGeorge.avi FE-GuyGeorge.srt FE-GuyGeorge.doc FE-GuyGeorge.mp3 |
A wide range of voices, but the extract is clear enough. Christophe Hondelatte's voice is rapid. It's a solid Level-2 extract |
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JeuDeLaMort1.avi JeuDeLaMort1.srt JeuDeLaMort1.doc JeuDeLaMort1.mp3 |
The rule of gold is that when educated people get excited, their voices blur. Level-3 |
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ArmeeAir.avi ArmeeAir.srt ArmeeAir.doc ArmeeAir.mp3 |
One of the reasons for the lasting success of Michel Drucker is that recognisable voice which can be crystal clear from the cockpit of a Mirage, or familiar when interviewing people - and much less easy to follow |
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GrippeA.avi GrippeA.srt GrippeA.doc GrippeA.mp3 |
It's a good exercise, because this guy speaks very clearly, and very fast. After acquiring basic vocabulary, learning to follow fast clear speech is the next step |
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Philosophie.avi Philosophie.srt Philosophie.doc Philosophie.mp3 |
The pedagogic point here, is that when the content of what is being said is abstruse, we have difficulty following the words. The brain has to interpret the sense, and it overloads. |
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UnSoirZygel.avi UnSoirZygel.srt UnSoirZygel.doc UnSoirZygel.mp3 |
This is a Level-1 in terms of listening. But turn the subtitles off the first time through and just listen to the quality of his voice. The orchestra's not bad either... |
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AD_Dentiste.avi AD_Dentiste.srt AD_Dentiste.doc AD_Dentiste.mp3 |
The patient, Isabelle, has exactly the sort of voice that we are training our ear to follow. I couldn't pick up her very last comment precisely. Can you ? |
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Mentaliste.avi Mentaliste.srt Mentaliste.doc Mentaliste.mp3 |
A moderate Level-2, because entertainers of this type take care to make sure that they are understood. |
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FemmePolicière.avi FemmePolicière.srt FemmePolicière.doc FemmePolicière.mp3 |
Although the (horrified) interest here is the story, it also makes a good listening exercise |
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Antigone.avi Antigone.srt Antigone.doc Antigone.mp3 |
A Level-1, and you know what I always say... It's a good idea to have the subtitles switched off by default on your video software |
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E=M6Fraicheur.avi E=M6Fraicheur.srt E=M6Fraicheur.doc E=M6Fraicheur.mp3 |
The voice-over isn't so difficult, although irritating. The technical expert though - !! Level-3 |
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Appel18juin.avi Appel18juin.srt Appel18juin.doc Appel18juin.mp3 |
It's a level-1, but there is a range of voices in this short piece |
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QuestionMaison.avi QuestionMaison.srt QuestionMaison.doc QuestionMaison.mp3 |
It's pretty comprehensible until the man starts sticking it on the wall in the last two minutes. Level-3 from there on... |
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DH_Guerre.avi DH_Guerre.srt DH_Guerre.doc DH_Guerre.mp3 |
I chose this as a Level-1 piece - so that I could say as always - Switch the subtitles off first time ! |
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ES_AloeVera.avi ES_AloeVera.srt ES_AloeVera.doc ES_AloeVera.mp3 |
Most of this is very much Level-1. Until perhaps the couple at the end who farm the plant. |
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VousVoir.avi VousVoir.srt VousVoir.doc VousVoir.mp3 |
The different voices are fascinating. Folliot has the burr of the South. The army personnel speak - like army personnel. Not easy, but exactly the sort of thing we want to learn to follow. |
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Tosca.avi Tosca.srt Tosca.doc Tosca.mp3 |
A range of voices here, but quite clear and a modest
Level-2
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SousSoleil.avi SousSoleil.srt SousSoleil.doc SousSoleil.mp3 |
It took me a while to make this transcription - not so much catching the words, but looking up the special name references on the Internet. Names are a real problem. |
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Zygel.avi Zygel.srt Zygel.doc Zygel.mp3 |
The informal nature of this clip means that while most of the words are clear, occasionally they dip below the threshold of comprehension |
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CommentPringles.avi CommentPringles.srt CommentPringles.doc CommentPringles.mp3 |
This is a Level-1. However, listen to the line that starts Qu'on les appelle. What is that at the end ? I couldn't pick it up. Can you ? |
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Télématin.avi Télématin.srt Télématin.doc Télématin.mp3 |
There are a few places where a word or two
escapes, but the real challenge here is to decipher place names, and names
of people |
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C'estdans
l'air-Histoire.avi C'estdans l'air-Histoire.srt C'estdans l'air-Histoire.doc C'estdans l'air-Histoire.mp3 |
It is the voice at the end that poses a little
challenge. However, although rapid, the diction is mostly clear, and where
it is not one can infer the content. A decent level-2. |
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The extracts refer to the classes of 'Sixième' and 'Cinquième'. You may find this diagram useful - I can never remember what these names mean |
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CommentCalfeutrage.avi CommentCalfeutrage.srt CommentCalfeutrage.doc CommentCalfeutrage.mp3 |
Lots of vocabulary but a
modest level-2 in terms of difficulty. Always some difficult moments,
though. Very often the sound comes to our ears distorted, and it is the
context that enables us to understand |
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HommesViennent.avi HommesViennent.srt HommesViennent.doc HommesViennent.mp3 |
It makes a good listening exercise this,
because Paul Dewandre speaks very clearly, but sometimes very fast. It
allows us to practice following rapid speech without the extra problem of
clarity. Level-2. |
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CommentBateauFibre.avi CommentBateauFibre.srt CommentBateauFibre.doc CommentBateauFibre.mp3 |
I think it will be useful
to describe a very common problem that cropped up in this extract. I
suggest you download the mp3 or the avi; but not the doc or srt for the
moment. I'm going to describe what I found, in the hope that it will help
you At 54 seconds into the piece the voice-over seems to say 'On commence par construire le seture' The voice is very clear, there is a slight emphasis on the le, but unfortunately there is no such word as seture. In this situation one tries to imagine from the context what the word could be, one can enter the sentence into Google, which often obligingly corrects the spelling, one looks up pages relating to glass fibre boat building. No luck... And it is very frustrating. When speech is rapid, or unclear, or there is background noise, we can excuse our inability to understand. But when it is completely clear... So I typed up the rest of the piece, and then came back to this moment. Finally I thought that perhaps it wasn't le but l' followed by a vowel. And so it proved. I won't give you the solution - try it for yourselves. Or perhaps you won't find that passage difficult ! Let me know... |
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CommentSaladiers.avi CommentSaladiers.srt CommentSaladiers.doc CommentSaladiers.mp3 |
Apart from the vocabulary this
is one of the easier ones - a level-1. However there are a few places
which made me ponder. When he speaks of the defects in the wood, I thought
that it had to be noeud but I heard a d
at the beginning. What do you think ? |
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OrthographeMaths.avi OrthographeMaths.srt OrthographeMaths.doc OrthographeMaths.mp3 |
There is a great variation
in difficulty here. The voice overs, as always, the mathematicians who
speak quickly, the young people. And how interesting it is that these
young folk who have such difficulty writing their language have no
problems at all when it comes to following a modern film... |
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SardouQuestion.avi SardouQuestion.srt SardouQuestion.doc SardouQuestion.mp3 |
Notice what a difference it makes when the microphone is
close to the mouth in a studio setting. Even though it is unscripted and
Sardou speaks very informally, it is still a level-1 I think |
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PierrePerret.avi PierrePerret.srt PierrePerret.doc PierrePerret.mp3 |
It's a level-1, because Perret takes care to ensure that we pick up the words. Having said that, the last verse confused me, so please tell me if you think I went wrong. At the end he says, instead of wearing the veil Allez-vous-en mettez les voiles We would say 'Take wing...' |
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CommentPompe.avi CommentPompe.srt CommentPompe.doc CommentPompe.mp3 |
I think we'll call this a level-1. The vocabulary is not very specialised - just the occasional word - and the voice is clear. Pity about that horrible music though... |
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MichelBerger.avi MichelBerger.srt MichelBerger.doc MichelBerger.mp3 |
There are a whole range of voices and songs here, so it is an excellent mix at round about level-2 |
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Guérisseurs.avi Guérisseurs.srt Guérisseurs.doc Guérisseurs.mp3 |
A good example of a clip which I start transcribing thinking that it is a level-1, because of the voice-over. Then I get to the voices of the unhappy ex-disciple, the aggressive Jean-Michel Bataille, and the slightly nervous practitioner. It's the sound quality of these interviews that makes it difficult, the technique of many modern films with the microphone well away from the person talking to give a realistic quality. So - Level-3 |
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CommentSèche-linge.avi CommentSèche-linge.srt CommentSèche-linge.doc CommentSèche-linge.mp3 |
Most of this extract is straight-forward. But ... is the word for the 'agitators' in the drum really 'sellette'? The sense sort of fits, but it doesn't quite sound right. What do you think ? |
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E=M6 Mémoire.avi E=M6 Mémoire.srt E=M6 Mémoire.doc E=M6 Mémoire.mp3 |
This is a good example of a gentle level-1 which suddenly gets difficult. The young husband interviewed on the subject of his marriage will gain no prizes for good diction, I fear. |
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CommentChangeur.avi CommentChangeur.srt CommentChangeur.doc CommentChangeur.mp3 |
I won't repeat the things I've said before about this series. Always good value for money. |
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Mitterrand.avi Mitterrand.srt Mitterrand.doc Mitterrand.mp3 |
Educated, moderately paced voices. A good Level-1 |
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E=M6_Images.avi E=M6_Images.srt E=M6_Images.doc E=M6_Images.mp3 |
There is an enormous difference in this clip between the voice-over, which talks to us as if we were children, and the professional photographer, whose voice is trendy and rather indistinct. |
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Réveillon.avi Réveillon.srt Réveillon.doc Réveillon.mp3 |
The chat show format makes for rapid and indistinct speech - we have to persuade our brains to infer what is being said rather than relying on every word being pronounced distinctly as if written down. It comes... but slowly. It's a level-3 |
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CommentMoutarde.avi CommentMoutarde.srt CommentMoutarde.doc CommentMoutarde.mp3 |
This one is relatively easy. There is always, however, some vocabulary which is unfamiliar and tests the ear. |
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UnDosTres.avi UnDosTres.srt UnDosTres.doc UnDosTres.mp3 |
My theory is that you get this sort of
crystal clear dubbing when the dubbing actors haven't the time to do any
more than read the words and get the lip-sync approximately right. But
it means that French TV is full of dubbed series that are ideal for
training the ear. A solid Level-1 |
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CDASarkozy.avi CDASarkozy.srt CDASarkozy.doc CDASarkozy.mp3 |
The extract starts with a very good example of Sarkozy's style of speaking - rather different from the ponderous French tradition. It is followed by an expert who speaks fast and informally. It is not difficult to follow the gist - but the detail can be difficult to pick up. |
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CommentTrainsMiniatures.avi CommentTrainsMiniatures.srt CommentTrainsMiniatures.doc CommentTrainsMiniatures.mp3 |
As always, clear diction, but the opportunity to recognise some new vocabulary by the sound rather than by the written word. |
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Publicités.avi Publicités.srt Publicités.doc Publicités.mp3 |
The problem is not so much the voices, which are usually quite clear, but the vocabulary, which, especially for the cosmetic products, can be quite difficult to follow |
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E=M6Alopécie.avi E=M6Alopécie.srt E=M6Alopécie.doc E=M6Alopécie.mp3 |
There is always a wide range of voices in these piece... the voice over, which tries to be young and trendy, the experts. And then the interviews in the road, which can be very difficult to disentangle. |
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CommentCouteau.avi CommentCouteau.srt CommentCouteau.doc CommentCouteau.mp3 |
As always, articles in metal requiring a lot of working offer varied technical vocabulary. This is a good example. |
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Y'aQueLLaVéritéQuiCompte.avi Y'aQueLLaVéritéQuiCompte.srt Y'aQueLLaVéritéQuiCompte.doc Y'aQueLLaVéritéQuiCompte.mp3 |
Even the voice over is difficult here, because very intimate and breathy. And of course emotion always makes voices less clear - as when the young wife starts to speak. Level-3 I think |
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L'affaire
DSK.avi L'affaire DSK.srt L'affaire DSK.doc L'affaire DSK.mp3 |
Apart from the intrinsic interest, because of the speed at which the anchor man speaks, a good listening exercise. |
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CommentBilles.avi CommentBilles.srt CommentBilles.doc CommentBilles.mp3 |
Some specialised vocabulary here, as always in this series |
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E=M6Animaux.avi E=M6Animaux.srt E=M6Animaux.doc E=M6Animaux.mp3 |
A good level-2 exercise this, with a mix of voice-over and 'real' voices. |
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RuyBlas.avi RuyBlas.srt RuyBlas.txt RuyBlas.mp3 |
Historical fiction, clear enunciation. It's a joy to have this as a Level-1. |
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E=M6_20ans.avi E=M6_20ans.srt E=M6_20ans.txt E=M6_20ans.mp3 |
As always, a good mixture of voice-over and live interviews, in setting which often offer background noise. |