The accents in southern France are similar in that they all pronounce much more of the spelling than in other parts of France. You can hear this in the Provençal accents in the twin movies “Jean de Florette” and “Manon des Sources” (which I heartily recommend in that order). The accent in the southwest is similar enough to that in the southeast that I have a hard time distinguishing between them, but I’m sure the difference is obvious to many. Like the Canadian accent, it’s much more pronounced among the working class than the college educated.
All of Anne-Marie’s uncles and aunts on her mother’s side moved to Paris for work and their accents softened a bit, but her parents and grandmother kept that sound in its delightful purity. Parisians, of course, look down on nearly everybody from the provinces.
Today’s post is dedicated to Anne-Marie’s uncles and their kids.
The oldest in the family was Marcelin. He had a big booming voice and, as Anne-Marie says, “he talked with his finger,” waving it around to make a point. He was in the French underground during World War II and was once hiding in a hay loft while the Germans were hunting with dogs. Luckily a distraction came up and the Germans left. Marcelin was gentle and kindhearted and had that generosity of spirit that every one of them had.
On The Road – Steve from Mendocino – French Basque Country #4Post + Comments (21)