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satisfactory display of analytical thinking. Remember: thesis,
antithesis, synthesis.
Waiters love to discuss the nuances of their menus,
plumbers the i ne points of their trade, and businessmen the
extent of their understanding of the workings of the world.
You should be willing to participate.
People who complain that the French talk too much are
probably the same ones who say the French are cool and
uncommunicative. They miss the point, both times. The art
of conversation in France is highly developed. It follows very
specii c rules. But as a foreigner with limited skills in French,
you will be forgiven a multitude of sins, as long as you don't
commit the only cardinal sin: refusing to join in.
The Art of Rhetoric
'The art of rhetoric is so alien to North American culture that few
people even understand what it is. But rhetoric is the treasured art
of the French. Rhetoric is not the mere science of persuasion and
oratory. It is the art of eloquence, whether in writing or in speech.'
'The French learn to value and practice eloquence from a young
age... now they follow a dialectic model of thesis-antithesis-synthesis...
they present an idea, explain possible objections to it and then sum
up their conclusions...'
'This analytical mode of reasoning in integrated into the entire
school corpus.'
—
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong
by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow
SILENCE PRESERVES
Before we go further, please note that silence can be very
appropriate in France, especially among strangers. Silence
preserves, the French say. It allows polite distance between
people in a public place. Neighbours in a building may
respect each other's privacy by maintaining silence as
they wait together on the ground l oor for the lift (but only
after they have acknowledged each other with a
Bonjour,
Madame
or
Monsieur
). They may go no further in their
relationship for years. But once that barrier is broken,
the talk never stops.
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