Vis--vis

Bienvenue Vis--vis
W
elcome to Vis--vis and to the French-speaking world, la francophonie. In the blog sections between Leons 2 and 3 in each chapter, you will read the blogs created by four ParisiansLa, Hassan, Juliette, and Hectorwith different Francophone backgrounds. You will also have the opportunity to read the commentaries of other French speakers on their blogs and to watch the videoblogs that they have posted on their sites. The cartes didentit* and short biographies of these four blogueurs are presented below.

Les blogueurs L
C Chapitres 14 feature the blog of La Bouchard. La Bouchard, 19 (dix-neuf ) ans,3 tudiante en 1re L (premire) anne4 de Lettres la facult de Paris IV ( Sorbonne. Elle rside avec sa famille, dans un S appartement du 6e arrondissement. a Sa personnalit: romantique, immature, gracieuse. S

C Chapitres 58 feature the blog of Hassan Zem. Hassan Zem, 28 (vingt-huit) ans, jeune patron6 dun H restaurant marocain du Quartier latin Paris. Il r occupe un loft du quartier Oberkampf, avec son o 7 c copain, Abdel. Sa personnalit: charmeur, dlicat, gnreux. S

4 re

sixime (arrondissement) 5 6th district of Paris 2un mtre soixante-cinq 5 5 feet 5 inches 1 5 1st year r 5un mtre soixante-dix-neuf 5 5 feet 10 inches 6owner r 7friend

years old

*The carte didentit is an ofcial national identity card. In addition to the photograph and signature of the cardholder r (titulaire), it includes such information as date of birth (n[e] le), gender (sexe), and height (taille). The card is not obligatory for French citizens, but it is free, and is the preferred card for identication purposes.

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Chapitres 912 feature the blog of Juliette Graf. Juliette Graf, 22 (vingt-deux) ans, tudiante en Master Multimdia Interactif lUniversit de Paris I Panthon-Sorbonne. Elle occupe une petite chambre au Quartier latin. Sa personnalit: raisonne, mthodique, active.

Chapitres 1316 feature the blog of Hector Clment. Hector Clment, 25 (vingt-cinq) ans, danseur professionnel. Il rside dans un appartement des Halles, avec des camarades. Sa personnalit: original, susceptible, talentueux.

Les commentateurs
The following people offer their commentaries on the blogs. Alexis Lafontaine, 19 (dix-neuf) ans, tudiant en 1re anne dconomie, de sociologie et de gographie. Il est de Montral. Il rside Versailles avec son chien,10 Trsor. Sa personnalit: intellectuel, moraliste, solitaire. Trsor, 3 (trois) ans, chien dAlexis Lafontaine. Il adore son matre. Sa personnalit: intelligent, optimiste, indpendant. Mamadou Bassne, 28 (vingt-huit) ans, journaliste sportif, correspondant du journal11 sngalais Le Soleil. Il est de Dakar. Il rside Paris, dans le Marais. Sa personnalit: plein dhumour, relax, charmeur. Charlotte Cousin, 30 (trente) ans, est traductrice12 lOMS (Organisation Mondiale de la Sant.)13 Elle rside Genve. Elle est marie; elle a14 un enfant. Sa personnalit: raisonnable, complique, anxieuse. Poema Dauphin, 22 (vingt-deux) ans, tudiante en matrise de Protection de la nature luniversit de Paris XII. Elle est de Tahiti. Elle loge dans une rsidence universitaire de Paris, la Cit internationale du 14e (quatorzime) arrondissement. Sa personnalit: idaliste, gnreuse, rveuse.15
8

un mtre soixante-dix 5 5 feet 7 inches 6 feet 10dog 11newspaper r 12translator r Organization) 14has 15dreamy

9 13

un mtre quatre-vingt-trois 5 OMS WHO (World Health

trois

Les pays francophones

More than 220 million people in the world speak French, either as their native language or as a second language used in the workplace. Frenchspeaking regions are found throughout the world. By following the blogs and videoblogs of La, Hassan, Juliette, and Hector in Vis--vis, you will learn more about the customs, traditions, lifestyles, and everyday routines that dene France and many Francophone regions.

Les Francophone countries

Pays: France (Rpublique franaise) Nom des habitants: Franais Capitale: Paris Langue ofcielle: franais Unit montaire: euro Fte nationale: 14 (quatorze) juillet

Pays: Canada Nom des habitants: Canadiens Capitale: Ottawa Langues ofcielles: anglais, franais Unit montaire: dollar canadien Fte nationale: 1er (premier) juillet

La province de Qubec (au Canada) Capitale: Qubec Langue: 80 % (quatre-vingts pour cent) des habitants de la province de Qubec parlent (speak k) franais. Fte nationale: 24 (vingt-quatre) juin

Pays: Cte dIvoire (Rpublique de Cte dIvoire) Nom des habitants: Ivoiriens Capitale: Yamoussoukro Langue ofcielle: franais Unit montaire: franc CFA Fte nationale: 7 (sept) aot

Pays: Sngal (Rpublique du Sngal) Nom des habitants: Sngalais Capitale: Dakar Langue ofcielle: franais Unit montaire: franc CFA Fte nationale: 4 (quatre) avril

Pays: Belgique (Royaume de Belgique) Nom des habitants: Belges Capitale: Bruxelles Langues ofcielles: franais, allemand (German), amand (Flemish) Unit montaire: euro Fte nationale: 21 (vingt et un) juillet

Pays: Suisse (Confdration suisse) Nom des habitants: Suisses Capitale: Berne (sige [seat t] administratif), Lausanne (sige judiciaire) Langues ofcielles: allemand, franais, italien Unit montaire: franc suisse Fte nationale: 1er (premier) aot

Dpartement doutre-mer: Martinique Nom des habitants: Martiniquais Capitale (chef-lieu et prfecture): Fort-de-France Langue ofcielle: franais Unit montaire: euro Fte nationale: 14 (quatorze) juillet

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Bienvenue en France
Un coup dil sur Paris, en France
Un A glance LA FRANCE

Paris, the City of Light, intrigues, astonishes, provokes, overwhelms . . . and gets under your skin. For centuries, the city has served as a muse, inspiring artists, writers, and musicians alike with its beauty. Paris is the apex of architectural beauty, artistic expression, and culinary delight, and it knows it. As stately as the Arc de Triomphe, as disarmingly quaint as the lace-curtained bistros found in each neighborhood, Paris seduces newcomers to enjoy unhurried exploration of its pictureperfect streets. It is a city of vast, noble perspectives and intimate, medieval streets, of formal espaces verts (green open spaces) and quiet squares. This combination of the pompous and the private is one of the secrets of its perennial pull. Another is its size: Paris is relatively small as capitals go, with distances between many of its major sights and museums invariably walkable. Paris is an open history book: a stroll through its streets will take you from the Middle Ages right up to the 21st century.

PORTRAIT

Astrix

Astrix, the iconic French comic strip character, is a boisterous little Gaul* who lives in a small French village that is holding out against the might of the Roman Empire. Protected by the village druid Panoramixs magic potion, which gives him superhuman strength, Astrix takes the lead in the villagers perilous attempts to conquer the invading Romans. He is a clever and level-headed warrior who knows when brain is better than brawn. The French see him as a symbol of themselves in his ability to outwit others.

The Eiffel Tower at night

*an inhabitant of the ancient region of Gaul, a province of the Roman Empire including territory corresponding to modern France, Belgium, and northern Italy

Watch the Bienvenue en France video segment to learn more about Paris.

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