The television the French watch !
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Now that I have a satellite receiver that will allow me to record most of the popular French channels, I'm going to spend some time on the programmes which are not perhaps the best that French television has to offer, but which are - undeniably - the most watched by the French themselves. French culture isn't just about châteaux and museums, but also game and reality shows. Such programmes can be hard to follow, because the language is very relaxed, fast, carelessly pronounced. But I am sure we'll find enough to offer some interesting and useful extracts. |
The long running satiric series Les Guignols de l'Info is on at the same time as the evening news. If you find the news depressing, it's a nice alternative, which Canal+ broadcasts in clear.
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GuignolsInfo101129.avi GuignolsInfo101129.srt GuignolsInfo101129.doc GuignolsInfo101129.mp3 |
This extract defines Level-2 for me. While Level-1 is the crystal clear diction of the documentary voice-over, this offers a conversational style where the words are frequently indistinct and have to be inferred from the context. There are always a few places where one is not quite sure. |
Well, look, Charmed, the series about American post-adolescents who are also witches fighting demons.... it isn't exactly the greatest of American literature. But it's harmless, very popular, and you can read about the storyline of this episode here. What really justifies it though is its importance as a listening exercise.
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Charmed.avi Charmed.srt Charmed.doc Charmed.mp3 |
A superb listening exercise... The delivery is quite fast, to match the breathless nature of the original American English. But the dubbing is crystal clear. Note that very often the ne of negation is pronounced - not at all as in everyday French. This is the sort of exercise we need to get the ear used to rapid, natural delivery. |
France 4 is a channel I could never record reliably until I got the new receiver. I suppose it is the 'light' channel of the public service; films, comedy shows, sketchs etc. It broadcast Le monde interdit : Les aventuriers du monde perdu, a telefilm version of the book by Conan Doyle. A well-known bunch of faces, ranging from Bob Hoskins through James Fox to Peter Falk - whose characteristic voice is faithfully rendered in French by one of the dubbing actors who no doubt earns his living doing Colombo. But a good film
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MondeInterdit.avi MondeInterdit.srt MondeInterdit.doc MondeInterdit.mp3 |
Dubbed British actors, and a 19th century historical setting. It's a level-1. |
No surprise that the French do a dubbed version of the A-team. But I was delighted to find that they'd taken the trouble to re-record the title song. It shows how popular this sort of thing is...
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AgenceTousRisques.avi AgenceTousRisques.srt AgenceTousRisques.doc AgenceTousRisques.mp3 |
The imitation of the fairly rapid 'patter' of the American makes this a level-2, I think |