As you know, I offer nerd French lessons: we talk about fiction, we talk about culture, witch hunts, French pirates, we play games, theater... And so, a question that sometimes comes up among my friends, family or colleagues is "Why nerd culture?"
Well, first of all, let's not lie to each other: because I like it! It's part of my identity, fiction, pop culture, creativity, it's really my universe. And by pushing the thing, by testing, by doing research (in particular a mini thesis at university on fiction and emotions - in fact the subject was "Why do we react emotionally to fiction knowing it's false"), I realized that it is also a very powerful way to progress in learning a language!!
So here are 3 reasons why I offer nerd French lessons, and why my students like it (and the students of teachers who trust me and take my advice). resources !!)
Spoiler : it’s a question of emotions, open-mindedness and human relationships!
To link language and emotion
What is the purpose of a language, after all? To communicate, to share things, and especially emotions.
Fiction, history, culture, these are crazy emotional factors. They touch us, they make us vibrate, they make us live (I will resist the urge to quote Black Sails*, but they understood everything about the power of fiction – in the broad sense, including the story told by the winners). Using these themes to learn is motivating yourself like never before, and creating a link between language and emotions – and there is nothing stronger than emotions as a motivating factor! When you are emotionally engaged, everything is stronger, you go further, and you progress even more!
To not just learn a language, but understand a culture
You can learn a language without a strong cultural aspect, yes.
But language is driven by culture, shaped by trends, beliefs, historical events…
And fiction has always been a factor in the evolution of language: How many words and expressions have been invented by playwrights? How many references to films or series have entered everyday language?
To understand culture is to understand language. And to understand language is to appropriate it and really use it.
To create a connection with people
And beyond the language, understanding culture makes it easier to communicate, it creates connections by discussing various topics, comparing our cultures, talking about what interests us, fascinates us, excites us... It's a real connector: between the teacher and the student on the one hand (in any case for me, almost all of my students have become friends), but also between the student and the people he/she will meet during his/her travels, or on the internet!
This is, in summary, what drives me to offer nerd French courses: it allows my students to be hyper engaged in the course, the culture and the language, it allows them to have fun and therefore learn and progress more easily, and above all it gives them lots of resources to then create a bond with French/French speakers, integrate, immerse themselves not only in the language but also in the culture.
And a language + a culture = opening your mind, generating fascinating discussions, and creating real human relationships, which, ultimately and in my opinion, is one of the best reasons to learn a language!
*that said, if you're interested, type "black sails, a story is true a story is untrue" into the internet and you'll find one of the best lines in the world about the impact of fiction! While you're at it, check out the line "freedom in the dark" from Black Sails, which is more about the narrative created by elites, but is also incredible - anyway, watch Black Sails actually.
To learn even more about how I work, get specific advice and make your French lessons nerdy, creative and fascinating, join the French epic! My newsletter is sent every Thursday afternoon, with lots of advice, specific examples and ideas to work on French with nerd culture!
