Will I understand French slang and youth talk?
Hi, I'm Chris. Teacher at OuiCommunicate.
We're home to adult learners (40+) who wish for a step up from traditional French classes.
In this article we'll talk about the challenges of French slang and youth speak.
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First problem: What you've heard so far
You might already have heard from amusing videos on Youtube that French has its share of slang. It also has changes of vocabulary according to regions. (France/Quebec/Belgium…) You might also have seen the Youtube teachers telling you that the way you said things in your French class is not the way we actually say them in every day French. And now you are confused even more.
The purpose of this article will be to hit the brakes on a lot of these myths and propose a more sobering explanation on French slang. Dare I say also a more scientific one!
The Science of Linguistics has long shone a light in the dark caves of languages and told the good country folk to put away their tools, because there was no terrible beast to slay. To further help us out of the darkness, it even gave names to these phenomenons. Scientia vincere tenebras!
The word “sociolect” refers to the traits of a language that are shared by a certain social group. Within a sociolect, we have jargons: the specialized terms used by people of a certain profession or sport. Players of golf have a jargon. Dentists have a jargon also. The word “hacker” was only used by certain people in the IT industry until it became mainstream. Lots of terms from the 1940s jazz scene came into ordinary talk such as “groovy” or “hip”. These are specialized terms within a certain activity.
There were most probably many other terms of “jazz slang” (a sociolect) that died down and didn’t make it into mainstream vocabulary. Just as there would have been terms of jargon used by a 1940 dentist that a dentist today wouldn’t understand and vice-versa.
And this is one of the first rules of “slang”: it changes with time, geography and sticks around according to forces that are hard to pinpoint. We all know of an expression that was hip when we were younger and has fallen out of fashion. But a word such as “cool” that is 80 years old is still considered… cool.
Speaking of “slang” is too wide and should ideally not be done at all. It confuses the receiver of this information and shows that the giver of the information is confused also, meaning that everyone ends up confused!
To properly understand the matter of “slang” (or sociolects), we should carefully distinguish between categories of “slang”: the latest buzzword shared by a certain youth group, a swearword known by all the French speakers and a innocent word that belongs to a more informal register. There are different types of “slang”. And we should also ask ourselves who uses these words, in which contexts and what is the shelf life of these “informal” French terms.
The function of "slang" (or sociolects)
As we mentioned already, a word that is known only to the insiders of a certain group usually has a purpose and a shelf life. It can also have other variables such as age group, geography and even gender. The uses of slang can sometimes be explained by psychology and sociology.
The main question when approaching French slang is how much of an impact will it have on your visit to France.
If the world of today was possible in the 1940s, the way we’ve built up the problem would be like having a French person worry about a visit to America because they’d heard that jazz musicians use slang words that are hard to understand. It would be a problem magnified like only the internet can do.
Still with the example of jazz, this community used specialized terms for several effects, that are usually psychological. It allows the people who belong to the group to reinforce their belonging and exclude the outsiders. We see this also with local accents: they show that you belong and they reassure the tribe that you are one of them.
The jazz musicians of the 40s probably invented the word “groove” to describe a reality that belonged to their activity as musicians. There wasn’t a proper word to express their feeling and they invented one.
These principles are true also in modern-day France, America and the rest of the world. A hashtag can become a word or a verb. It might disappear next year or still be around in ten years. The question is how marginal are these words and how much of an impact will they have on me as a non-native user of French?
I recently read a post by someone who used the verb “megxiting” as a way of saying “doing what I want” or “can’t handle the pressure”. It’s anyone’s guess if it will turn into a mainstream verb of just die out within a year or two.
When speaking of French “slang” it will be very important to understand what we are talking about in order to tone down the confusion and not give this potential obstacle a size it doesn’t deserve. Let’s not fear the badly-named slang as the boogiemonster it isn’t!
Will slang be a problem for me?
When visiting – or even residing in – a francophone country as a non-native speaker of French, slang will not be a problem for you, and for several reasons.
As we saw with our examples of dentists, golf players or musicians, a sociolect (or “slang”) has the function of describing realities belonging to this group, but also has a bonding effect. It implicitly reassures the users of slang that they are on the same wavelength. (ex: megxiting)
As a non-native speaker of French, the locals will already have seen (through your accent or mannerisms) within seconds that you are not exactly on that wavelength. They will instinctively adapt their way of speaking to a more “middle of the road” pattern. This is why we speak more “proper” when we see a lawyer or dentist. The rules of linguistics have long taught us that we adapt our way of speaking according to whom we speak to.
This is why in the UK you’ll hear “you’re alright mate?” They want to know if you’re a mate – if you’re in the gang or not. Answering “jolly good, wonderful weather” is not the proper answer. Or it might be if you want to make it clear you have nothing in common with the person. If you’ve ever seen the film “Catch Me if You Can” DiCaprio’s character had to learn the jargon used by airline pilots to be able to fit in. It’s all the same mechanism.
Practically, a French worker doing a job on your garden fence is not going to say “C’est complètement peté” but more likely “C’est cassé”. They will have no incentive to try and bond with you as locals and will rather want to make themselves well understood. It’s not something they will rationalize but rather do instincitvely. As we all do.
A mechanic is not going to use the term “bagnole” instead of “voiture”. A trader will not say “J’ai pas de fric sur moi” but rather “Je n’ai pas d’argent sur moi”. Your neighbour won’t tell you “Fait pétant de chaud” but rather “Il fait très chaud!”. They won’t throw out “Ca caille!” but rather “Il fait froid!” An acquaintance won’t say “on va se taper sur un banc ou quoi?” but rather “On va s’asseoir sur le banc?” No one will tell you “Ca fait des plombes! J’en touche plus une en anglais.” but rather “Aille spique Ingliche note very welle. Eat ease long time”.
People will adapt to your circumstances which will be made evident by your English accent. They might at times forget the boundaries between formal and informal French and slip in a sentence you might not get, but just as soon clarify this if they notice any sort of puzzlement from you. Remember that Linguists have long explained the dynamics of communication, in which clarity is a guiding principle. For this reason, it will be in no one’s interest to confuse you.
Understanding the parts of slang
To finish this article, let’s break down into categories what we commonly call “slang” and in which cases it might appear.
- Written/spoken: Steps aside from standard French will be taken in different measures according to whether the message is written or spoken. “Text message French” as used by teenagers will likely have very little impact on your interactions in the francophone world precisely because they won’t be directed towards you.
2. Young/old: As we discussed, one of the uses of slang is to solidify the belonging to a social group. Younger people would have no interest in trying to include you in their community of teenagers. Here also, it will have no impact.
3. Long/short term: Slang can range from extremely underground to commonplace. It can hang around for a year or for a century. The word “cops” in English is considered a regular word that is necessary in the language. We must distinguish the French “slang” words that are shared by a majority and know these. For example: bagnole (car) or toubib (doctor).
4. Vulgar/proper: French has words that belong to the vulgar register that include insults and sex. Unless we expect to be called names in a vulgar way, it will likely not be much of a concern either. Perhaps they will occasionally find use in a film?
5. References to a shared culture. Some sentences might refer to a well-known catchphrase from a proverb, a film or even a novel. These have a similar function of strengthening the bond between people who get the reference. “Voilà la cavalerie” or “Jour après jour l’oiseau fait son nid” will likely not be placed in a conversation that is addressed to you directly.
6. Regional speech patterns. These variations can be seen on the scale of a nation or on the contrary be quite local. Practical examples are a certain accent that can be traced back to France. There might also be words that describe a French reality. For example the word “mairie” finds little use in Belgium where they rather have “communes”. The same object might be called by different names according to country or region such as “gâteau” that refers to biscuits in France rather than a cake. However, on the scale of the French language it represents 0,0% in terms of size.
7. Abbreviations. Words are sometimes shortened in the same way we say Chris instead of Christopher. These are usually shared by speakers on a wide scale or risk losing their function, especially if they require a longer explanation than originally intended! Examples of such include “apero” instead of aperitif and “deo” for deodorant. Again, nothing to worry about here either.
8. The rest. Could there be the odd surprise still? There sure could. Will it ever be a major obstacle to communicating with French speakers?Absolutely not.
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