Category Archives: Observation of the month

Middle-agers: Study a Language !

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Susan

You must read the July 15, 2014 Opinion by William Alexander in the New York Times: “The benefits of failing at French” ” Last year researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University in Illinois hypothesized that … Continue reading →

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Words of the month, July 3

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Susan

I love French verbs that have no direct English translations. We can tell what they mean, but they are so concise, we have no one-word equivalents: fragiliser, relativiser, positiver, responsabiliser. A weird one that’s not even in the dictionary: dérembourser! … Continue reading →

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New word: Europhobes

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Susan

Ta Da! New Feature of Back Bay Français: Language Tip of the Month! Two new French words have sprung from the recent victory of the Front National (far right) in the election for the European Parlement: “europhobes” et “eurosceptiques.” It … Continue reading →

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