Appeal. Friendly letter in French Address in French letter

I. V. Mikuta

FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF ADDRESSES IN MODERN FRENCH LANGUAGE

(Quantitative linguistics and semantics. - Issue 3. - Novosibirsk, 2001. - P. 129-133)

When entering into communication, the speaker necessarily makes a pre-speech orientation concerning both the communication situation itself and the interlocutor, the addressee. The speaker’s awareness of his social role, his role expectations in relation to his partner, taking into account the personal characteristics of the addressee, the speaker’s emotional attitude towards the interlocutor are necessarily reflected in speech. One of the important markers of the social situation, status, role, relationships of the participants in communication is the address (vocative, appellative).The question of the syntactic status of appeals is still open. Some linguists believe that when translated from French the appeal is not part of the sentence (Peshkovsky A.M., authors of the Larousse grammar of the twentieth century), others propose to consider it a member of the third order sentence, connected with the sentence by a special correlative connection (Rudnev A.G.). Torsuev G.N. distinguishes it as an independent communicative type of sentence, and the French grammarians Wagner and Pinchon, in their French grammar, emphasize the connection of the address with the topic of the sentence. Such a variety of points of view can be explained by the fact that the address in the statement is information-rich and is capable of performing various functions. First of all, addresses indicate on the interlocutor, highlight him as the addressee of the speaker’s statement. However, addresses almost never perform only one deictic function; they necessarily convey information about the communication situation, the social statuses and roles of the interlocutors. Signaling about the social aspects of communication - this is the second function of addresses. The choice of address is influenced by the degree of familiarity with the communication partner, the corresponding statuses of the interlocutors, their hierarchical position relative to each other (superior-subordinate, superior-subordinate). French researcher D. Perret proposes to distinguish between two concepts - “social distance” (distance sociale) and “social proximity” (familiarité sociale). In her concept, distance/proximity are socio-psychological determinants that largely determine the choice of socially acceptable forms of communication. We are talking about social distance when the interlocutors do not know each other, or when one of them occupies a higher social position (by age, position). When communicating with acquaintances or interlocutors of equal social status, social proximity of communication partners takes place. It should be noted that quite often when addressing a stranger, we either do not use addresses at all (it is only important for us to attract attention), or we use neutral addresses monsieur, madame . Excusez-moi (monsieur), vous avez l "heure, s"il vous plait? In the case of formal communication between acquaintances, but not equal in position, a choice is possible between signs of the absolute name of social and official rank, such as - baron, chef, Monsieur le Maire, patron. and signs establishing the relative distance (distance) between the social rank positions of the interlocutors, namely: monsieur, M. Dupont, M. Jacques, Dupont, Jacques, mon vieux, mon ami etc. The choice of vocatives is regulated depending on the awareness of the relations of equality/inequality between communication partners. In the case of equality of partners, a symmetrical use of addresses is observed, in the case of inequality - asymmetrical. The asymmetry of linguistic means is a reflection of the asymmetry in rights and responsibilities. The superior in relation to the inferior enjoys the greatest freedom of choice of means of address. The latter, when communicating with a person standing above him on the career ladder, has a minimal degree of freedom. He can appeal to a superior Monsieur, Monsieur + Nom, Monsieur + fonction. Any other form, including zero, is regarded as rude and offensive. Signs of the absolute name of social and official rank (patron, chef, monsieur l "inspecteur) are significantly inferior to socially distant means in terms of prevalence. Their use is characteristic of formal communication situations in which, however, hierarchical relationships between partners are not so significant (one can define such situations as transitional from formal to informal communication). Consider the following example: Daubrecq - Allò, Monsieur Prasville? Ah! c"est toi, mon vieux Prasville. Eh bien, quoi, tu sembles interloqué... Oui, c"est vrai, il y a longtemps qu"on ne s"est pas vus tous deux... Quoi? Tu es pressé? Ah! Je te demande pardon... Moi aussi, d'ailleurs. Donc, droit au but. C"est un petit service que je veux te rendre. Attends donc, animal... Tu ne le regretteras pas... Je t"offre un gibier de choix, mon vieux...Un seigneur de la haute. Napoleon lui-meme... Bref, Arséne Lupin. (Leblanc 156-157)The first address of Monsieur Prasville (M. + Nom) indicates the formal nature of the communication - a telephone conversation with an official. The following address Mon vieux Prasville (mon vieux + Nom) indicates that the speaker is moving on to more informal communication and is addressing an equal or inferior, and is addressing him with contempt (indeed, the interlocutors are former friends, and now mortal enemies). Dubreck tries to humiliate his interlocutor, this explains the appearance of the third address - animal. The speaker, through address, attributes a certain attribute to the interlocutor and expresses his personal attitude. This third, calificative, characterizing function of addresses brings them closer to adjectives. In accordance with the main function of addresses in speech, they can be divided into two groups - actual addresses (the term of F.A. Litvin) and characteristics. Proper addresses serve primarily to clearly indicate the addressee of the message and attract his attention; these include proper names and words like boulanger, curé, etc. , which can be considered equivalent to proper names if in a particular communication situation only one of the possible addressees of speech falls into this category. Proper addresses gravitate towards the subject and can be considered as the topic of the statement. Characteristic addresses differ in that, in addition to the nominative, they also have a predicative-characterizing meaning. “The uniqueness of words with predicative characteristics lies in the presence in their semantic structure of a special “attributive”, “feature” seme” (Litvin 50), which is absent in terms of the content of the actual addresses. A lexical unit with an attributive seme turns out to be endowed with internal predicativity: the attribute contained in the lexeme-characteristic is internally predicated to any object that reveals this attribute. Thus, the appeal-characteristic can be expanded into a defining sentence, where the appeal plays the role of the nominal part of the predicate. Appeals-characteristics, not being names of the addressee, cannot perform the function of attracting the attention of the interlocutor, which is usually indicated as the main function of appeals. An address-characteristic fixes the optional characteristics of an object, individualizes, distinguishes this object from among others of the same kind, it does not uniquely identify the addressee of the speech, but presupposes knowledge, independent of the characteristic, about to whom the speech is addressed. Hercule - Alors? On est fier d "etre aux commandes, hein, craneur! (Motti-Récréo, 14). In this case, the communication situation does not cause difficulties with the addressee identifying himself as the recipient of the message. Apart from Pif, sitting at the control panel of the spaceship, there is no one in the cabin no longer exists, and it is to him that Hercule addresses his statement. The function of attracting attention is played by the interjection alors, and the address-characteristic cr?neur serves to express the personal relationships between the interlocutors. It can be expanded as follows: On est fier, toi, qui est craneur. In a series cases, the address word can be interpreted by the addressee both as a proper address and as an address-characteristic. In the first case, the addressee considers the address as a sign of social relations between him and the speaker, in the second - as attributing to him some quality, most often deduced from the context or situation communication. Consider a short anecdote. Une nymphette rentre chez elle a six heures du metin. Son père qui la guette lui crie: - C"est toi, fille de Satan? - Oui, papa, - répond la fille. The father, dissatisfied with his daughter's lifestyle, chooses the fille de Satan. The daughter leads an incorrect lifestyle and the sign of “fiend of hell”, “daughter of Satan” is projected onto her. The girl, understanding this meaning of the address, prefers to interpret it as a proper address, as can be seen from her answer, “Yes, dad.” The juxtaposition of these two interpretations of one address creates a comic effect. In addition to the above two groups of addresses, one more can be distinguished. These are emotional, evaluative appeals. Their function is to convey the emotional state of the speaker and to evaluate the addressee of the speech. This type of address is found in informal communication. In contrast to appeals-characteristics, the subject-logical component of the meaning of this group of appeals is pushed aside not by the predicative-characterizing one, but by the emotional, evaluative one. An emotional appeal does not give any characteristics to the named person. In emotional appeals, like in appeals-characteristics, the deictic function is often lost; they only signal the personal attitude of the speaker towards the listener (positive or negative). This fourth function of address is clearly visible in the following example: A mother addresses her son: “Raoul, mon amour, n” interromps pas monsieur le Directeur” (Aymé, 2). If the first address - a proper name - serves to identify the addressee of the message, then the second mon amour expresses the speaker’s personal relationship to the interlocutor, but not his characteristics. The displacement into the background, if not the loss, of the function of calling the interlocutor is also evidenced by the location of the address in the phrase - not in the initial position, but in the middle or at the end of the speaker’s utterance. For example, Je lui déballe l "histoirette du clébard. - Quel dommage, que je ne suis plus dans le fait-divers, murmure-t-il. Un truc pareil, ça me faisait trois "cols" à la une.- Ça les fera meme sans ça, affirmai-je. Seulement je t"en prie: bouche cousu, hein, mon trçsor? (San-Antonio, 31) The nominative function of such addresses is weakened, the choice of one or another of them is determined not by the properties and characteristics of the addressee, but by the emotional attitude of the speaker towards him. It is no coincidence that many of them are accompanied in the statement by the possessive pronoun mon amour, mon ange, ma cherie. Calling a person mon amour, mon ange does not mean at all to evaluate him as objectively good. For the speaker, the addressee is simply sweet, pleasant, dear. Among emotional appeals, a large group consists of appeals - zoonyms: ma poule, mon petit chat, mon lapin, etc. J"appelle miss Claudique à la rescousse.- Dis-moi, cocotte, qu"est-ce que c"est que cette photo?- Tu ne vois pas, mon gros loup? C"est ta petite femme avec ses idiots de facteurs ... (San-Antonio, 105) Quite often, substantivized adjectives mon gros, ma douce, mon vieux, ma toute belle, etc. also act as emotional appeals. Emotional appeals can be not only positively, but also negatively colored, Moreover, the number of such calls in any language is quite large. For example, in Obaldia's play "Graduating Class" students act out a skit and address the student playing the role of a teacher with the following insults: - C"est très malheureux, vieux crocodile, mais il ne faut pas pleurer comme ça... Vous m"enervez à la fin, vieille ficelle .- Hé, vieille galette, vieil épouvantail, vieux casaque, y en a marre à la fin.- ... Ne partez pas vieux débris, vieille escalope .- Ah, vieille noix, vieille savate, vieux lampadaire, topujours aussi rétrograde, aussi réactionnaire? (Obaldia, 13) Most of the above insults are not recorded in dictionaries as abusive language; they are the result of the individual creativity of the speakers. In this case, the actual objective meaning of the word turns out to be unimportant; we can say that all these addresses are synonyms, they all have the same meaning - a negative attitude towards the addressee. Against the background of a negative assessment, the speaker’s emotions appear. It is interesting to note that all addresses are accompanied by the adjective vieux, which, when used in the function of address, means not so much “old” as “bad”, “pathetic”, i.e. conveys a negative assessment (to express a positive assessment in such cases, the adjective petit is used, meaning “good”). The following constructions of emotional-evaluative addresses are specific to the French language: Bande de + Nom when addressing a group of addressees and espèce de + Nom when addressing to one addressee. For example: - Laisse-moi respirer... Faites-moi boire un coup, bande d "assassins... (Pagnol, 137). - Allez-vous enfin vous taire, espèce de vieille bète! Est-ce qu"il ne vous suffit pas d"avoir une femme innocente calomniée? (Aymé, 90). Being multifunctional, the address plays an important role in speech. Its primary function is to attract the attention of the interlocutor with whom the speaker wishes to come into contact. In addition, the address can convey additional information. It signals the social status of the interlocutor, the relative status of communication partners, indicates the formal or informal nature of communication. An address can also express the speaker’s attitude towards his partner, his assessment of the addressee of the speech. In addition, with the help of an address, one can characterize the interlocutor, attribute certain properties to it. There are three groups of addresses that specialize in performing primarily one or another function. There are no clear boundaries between them, and the attribution of an address to one of them largely depends on the extralinguistic situation.

Literature

1. Peshkovsky A.M. Russian syntax in scientific coverage. - M. 1956. P. 404-408.
2. Rudnev A.G. Syntax of modern Russian language. - M. 1968. S. 177-178.
3. Torsuev G.P. Phonetics of the English language. - M. 1956. P. 242.
4. Perret D. Les appellatifs (analyse lexical et acts de parole) // Langages. n.17. 1970. P. 35-39.

Example sources

1. Aymé M. La tete des autres. - Paris: Grasset, 1952. 177 p.
2. Leblanc M. Le bouchon de cristal. - Paris: Livre de poche, 1965. 384 p.
3. Matti-Récréo Pif. La guerre de l'énerschmoll. - Paris: Vaillant. 1983. 89 p.
4. Obaldia R. de Classe terminale // Avant-scène du theater. n. 519. 1973.
5. Pagnol M. La femme du boulanger. - Paris: Presses Pochet, 1970. 212 p.
6. San-Antpnio Passez-moi la Joconde. - Paris: Fleuve Noir. 1972. 254 p.

In the West, it is always customary to address a person with a certain word or phrase. In England these are Miss (Mrs.) and Mister. In France - mademoiselle (madame) and monsieur. The importance of such treatment is, first of all, respect. This article will focus on communicating with the French. In particular with men. What polite address can you use to address a man in France? You will read this and many other interesting tips below.

French mentality

How beautiful and mysterious the country of love is. France is truly the center of Europe in many ways: fashion, food, leisure. The indigenous people of this country are very sophisticated. There are several distinctive features of their mentality:

They are exquisite. They have taste in everything. If you have breakfast it's beautiful. Loving is even more expressive.
Very patriotic. The French simply adore their homeland. And they consider themselves the best nation. Without fanaticism.
Unique style. Every Frenchman, no matter rich or poor, has his own style - in clothes, music, food.
Enjoy life. They love freedom. The French live the way their hearts lie.
Outwardly loyal to foreigners. They will never allow themselves to be offended on ethnic grounds.
Sociable, but not with everyone. The French show a spontaneous decision to open or close to someone.
Energetic. These are lively, cheerful, charming people who radiate positivity.

The list of qualities of the French can be endless, but the main thing is noted here.

French communication traditions (etiquette)

As mentioned above, these people are sociable. However, they carefully set boundaries for their communication and time for themselves, family and friends. For the French, there are a number of rules of behavior that Russians do not pay attention to at all.

For example, this applies to the process of eating. For us, it doesn’t matter what time this or that product is available. This is important for them, for example, they drink beer from about 18.00 to 19.00. And they don’t eat oysters at this time.

In terms of communication, they can sometimes be rude. But only if, in their opinion, it is justified. But in general, in public they are polite and courteous. They behave differently with acquaintances, friends, or those they see for the first time.

They love themselves and take care of their appearance because they are sure that someone might be watching them.

When you first meet a French person, you will feel that some of them behave closed with you (this applies to official communication), while others, on the contrary, may begin to be friends with you from the first minutes of meeting you. And this is a sign that they liked you.

The character of a French man

How does a Parisian's behavior differ from others? For Russians, an image of such a man has been created, collected from literature, films and romantic stories.

Like all people on Earth, French men are all different. But there are certain traits that are most common. Here are some of them:

Cheerful.
They love to impress.
They smile constantly.
Romantic.
Loving and amorous.
Gallant.

It often happens that the French show elements of simple upbringing, and the ladies think that they have fallen in love. Or situations arise when a man cares for a woman, but does not feel anything special towards her.

Young people in France are hot and passionate. They can often fall in love, or they can also be monogamous, who show signs of attention to other ladies not for the sake of betrayal, but out of etiquette. After all, it is so important for them to make an impression so that they will think about them for a long time and remember the mysterious and admiring look

Addressing French when speaking

Art is characteristic of many countries. However, in Russia there are no such words. More precisely, they exist, but most often these are appeals based on gender - “Woman, man, girl or young man.” In England they use "Sir", "Mr", "Mrs" and so on. And in the center of Europe there are also such appeals to people.

If in France you intuitively refer to someone by gender and call the interlocutor “man” or “woman”, at best they will simply not understand you, and at worst they will be offended. Under no circumstances should you do this.

When communicating with strangers, it is best to address yourself as you and use special words for this. The address to a man and a girl in France is different, but the meaning is the same. With this word you emphasize the importance of the interlocutor, the one to whom you intended to say something.

Addresses in France to a man and a woman

It is especially important to behave correctly when communicating with the opposite sex. Addressing a man in France is “monsieur”, “monsieur”. When you pronounce this word, you thereby emphasize the dignity of a person and treat him with respect. This is very important for the French, because they love themselves and believe that they should be treated this way.

Previously, to address a young girl, you could call her “mademoiselle.” And a married lady was called "madam". Nowadays in France they don’t like the address “mademoiselle”. It’s better not to take risks and not call anyone that. French women are very sensitive in this matter and may perceive this as sexism.

Women believe that if the address to a man in France is “monsieur” and it is one, then women should have one. If for the stronger half there is no word indicating his marital status, then this should not be the case for women either. In general, be careful with the address “mademoiselle”.

How to behave to please a Frenchman?

Correctly addressing a man in France from the very first time is the key to future relationships. If you speak to the young man you are interested in and do it respectfully, using the word "monsieur", then this will work in your favor.

However, men in France love it when they make the first move. Nevertheless, every wise woman knows what to do to ensure that a representative of the stronger sex does what you expect.

For any Frenchman, a woman’s smile is important. She must be mysterious. And the look can be languid.

Equally important is style and neatness in clothing, hairstyle and makeup. The French have taste in everything and will appreciate the elegant appearance of their beloved.

The most important thing at first is to address a man with respect in France.

How affectionately can you call a Frenchman?

If you have already met the man of your dreams from the most romantic country in the world and don’t know how else to address him other than “Monsieur,” then see the following list of words and phrases:

ma puce (ma pus) - “my flea”;
ma coucou (ma kuku) - “my cuckoo”;
ma poulette (ma poulet) - “my chick”;
mon nounours (mon nung) - “my little bear”;
mon chou (mon shu) - “my sweetie”, and literally “my cabbage”

But this is the case for men in France, and they are also quite suitable for women. Basically, this is what couples in love call each other.

At first glance, these words do not look particularly nice to Russian people. And for the French, our “my fish” is quite offensive. If they called you a fish, then you are silent and useless to anyone, lying and rotting on the counter. This is normal for us, but not for them.

If you don't like tenderness, just call him "mon chére" - "my dear."

Bright phrases in French

To communicate with a man from the most beautiful country, it is not enough to know the language; you also need to know some strong sayings. Such knowledge will help you stay on the same page with him. After all, in the process of communication, it is not enough to simply address a man pleasantly in France. We also need general concepts, tastes, values, and, of course, you should definitely get acquainted with the catchphrases of this people.

Here are some of them:

O la la is an expression of delight and surprise, both positive and negative.
C'est la vie - "such is life." This is what they say about something that cannot be changed. Such is fate.
Komsi komsa - “so-so”. This is when you are neither good nor bad, but rather not very good.
Deja vu - “as if this has happened before, an inexplicable feeling.”

Addressing a man in France is official and respectful - “Monsieur”. It is appropriate when we meet for the first time or this is a business relationship. You can also talk more casually with a man if you have become friends or more. The French have many affectionate and sweet words that they call each other. They differ from Russians because of their different perception of the world and mentality. In any case, in France you should always treat a man with respect, especially if you want to please him.

The forms “tu/ Vous” of address in the French and Russian corporate etiquette S. A. Sheypak Department of Foreign Languages The Faculty of Philology Peoples" Friendship University of Russia Mikluho-Maklay Str., 6, Moscow, Russia, 117198 The article analyzes how Russian employees of French companies would realize the form of address prescribed by the organizational culture of the company. Key words: professional communication, national culture, organizational culture, status, distance of communication, form of address, organizational values, organizational norms Forms YOU-YOU addresses in French corporate etiquette in comparison with Russian S. A. Sheipak Department of Foreign Languages Faculty of Philology Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 6 Miklukho-Maklaya str., Moscow, Russia, 117198 The article discusses the features of the functioning of the address you/you in the corporate etiquette of French companies in in the context of a polylogue of cultures of professional communication Key words: professional communication, national culture, corporate culture, status, communication distance, form of address, corporate values, corporate norms The sphere of professional communication has recently become much more dynamic and multicultural. This area can be compared today to a kind of experimental laboratory in which neologization processes are actively underway. Since most professional communication today takes place on the Internet, new, stylistically marked forms of communication appear, and, consequently, processes of codification of new forms are underway. And in all situations of professional communication, without exception, an important factor determining the strategies of communicative behavior is the polylogue of cultures. In the West, research into the pragmatic aspects of international professional communication has been ongoing for several decades (G. Fisher, E. T. Hall, J. Holmes, D. Hymes, H. Reed, G. Hofstede, R. Lewis, P. D'Iribarne, A. Wierzbicka) , however, in Russia the experience of cross-cultural interaction in the professional sphere is not so long, and research in this area concerns mainly English-language communication (T. V. Larina, I. A. Sternin, T. N. Persikova, V. A Spivak, T.S. Samokhina, F.A. Kuzin, L. Visson, D.B. Gudkov, Yu.B. Kuzmenkova, O.A. Leontovich, A.V. Pavlovskaya). Questions related to the comparison of communication features in French and Russian business culture remain insufficiently studied. One of the differences between French-speaking communication and English-speaking communication, which representatives of Russian business culture encounter, is the need to choose the form of addressing the interlocutor as “you” or “you”. As N.I. Formanovskaya notes, the appropriate use of the you/YOU form, adequate to the complex of situational and social-usual conditions, is determined by global rules of communication, but at the same time is specific to each national culture, since it is, first of all, a means of expressing social status . In the professional sphere of communication, status refers to one of the basic concepts, fixed, first of all, explicitly in the hierarchical structure of the organization. It seems important to understand what traditions and norms determine the choice of the form of address to you or to you in Russian and French business cultures and what are the culturally determined differences in the understanding of these norms. Polylogue of cultures in professional communication within French companies Let us first dwell on the features of cross-cultural communication in French companies operating in the international market. On the one hand, in the era of globalization, when the entire business world, it would seem, should communicate in English, many French companies, having taken a leading position in the international market, retain French as the main language of professional communication (Renault, Michelin, L'Oréal, Auchan). But even those companies that have given preference to the English language in the professional sphere (Total, BSG, AXA) consider it necessary for their employees outside France to know French as an important factor in team consolidation and the formation of a corporate spirit (esprit de corps). Consequently, in professional communication norms, stereotypes and ideas characteristic of three layers of culture will interact: French culture, corporate culture, company culture, national employee culture. For employees of these companies it would be quite reasonable to talk about polylogue of crops. However, for many companies the situation can become even more complicated if their field of activity is so unique that the profession has developed its own style of relationships, its own code of professional honor. Professional culture understood in this way will not coincide with corporate culture, since in this situation we are talking about cultural self-identification in relation to a certain type of activity, and not the organization that is engaged in this activity. For such fields of activity as, for example, journalism or medicine, another, fourth cultural layer will appear in the polylogue of cultures, associated with professional culture. Sociologist Geert Hofstede, who proposed criteria for analyzing the cultural characteristics of different countries, formulated one of the possible definitions of culture as the collective programming of thoughts that distinguishes one category of people from another [cit. at 3.50]. Based on this definition, it becomes clear that if three or four layers of culture interact in professional communication, this process of implicit programming becomes significantly more complicated. The French national stereotypes of ideas about status and leadership, about time, about methods of interaction are superimposed on stereotypes formed by the corporate culture of each enterprise. In a corporate environment, the behavior of each employee becomes even more determined, since within one national culture, various French companies consciously develop their own system of beliefs (We are leaders in... / Our calling is... / The basis of our activities is...), their own system of values (openness, speed of decision-making, relationships with clients). “Corporate culture evolves over time like national or ethnic cultures and develops its values and behavioral norms in the same way.” Consequently, in various French companies, Russian employees, within the framework of a polylogue of cultures, are faced with different norms of behavior, explicit or implicit. And these norms will be understood by them through the prism of their national culture. That is, Russian employees will interpret corporate norms that determine the choice of addressing you or you, based on the pragmatic meanings of you and you accepted in Russian culture. To judge how the conventions of choice between you and you, which have deep roots in French culture, are reflected in the corporate etiquette of French companies, you need to understand the contribution of national French culture to the polylogue of professional communication cultures. The contribution of French culture to the polylogue of cultures British linguist and specialist in the field of cross-cultural communication R. D. Lewis, describing the features of the functioning and interaction of national business cultures in international business, begins the chapter devoted to French business with the following observation: “The French people live in their own world , the center of which is France." Lewis goes on to talk about the unshakable belief of the French that it was their country that set the standards in many areas, in democracy, government and legislative administration, philosophy, science, and that other peoples, having their own standards different from the French, “have much to learn, before these things are properly understood." In order for other nations to learn this correct understanding, in the middle of the 20th century, one of the directions of French foreign policy was the implementation of five-year plans to spread French cultural influence outside France - plan quinquennal de l"expansion de l"action culturelle à l'étranger Such a high assessment of one's own culture in comparison with others, characteristic of France, suggests that French companies will be characterized to a significant degree by cultural ethnocentrism. In order to verify the validity of this assumption, let us consider how the idea of national identity is expressed in those working in the Russian market. French companies always create a section on their corporate Internet sites dedicated to the history of their creation and the legendary figure of the founder, which confirms the remark of R. Lewis that “the French are absorbed in their history.” Such historical information cannot be found on many websites of English-language companies that are more focused on presenting their commercial activities (Appel, IBM, Cisco). For example, on the website of the French oil and gas company Total, in this section you can not only get acquainted with significant milestones in the history of the company, but even see a notarial certificate from 1920 about the financial transaction through which Total was created. And the program document of the largest tire company Michelin, “Charte Performance et Responsabilités 2002,” begins with a story about the history of the creation of the Michelin group from a small enterprise in the province of Auvergne “C'est parce que une petite Enterprise d'Auvergne a voulu, il y a bien longtemps, "Repondre au besoin du client... que notre aventure a commencé." The Auchan group formulates its main task in relation to the company’s Russian specialists as training “to provide them with maximum responsibility and autonomy up to the opportunity to become shareholders of AUCHAN.” This formulation implicitly emphasizes that Russian employees a priori lack these important qualities. However, the head of the Auchan group, strictly observing family traditions, not only declared “Au dirigeant l’action, au propriétaire le contrôle.” but also in fact gave great powers to the directors of local stores around the world. However, pursuing a policy of economic decentralization, the head of the Auchan group provided for strict control by the Supervisory Board (Conseil de Surveillance), which must guarantee compliance with the values that were laid down by the founder of the company when creating the first supermarket and have since been fundamental in relations with clients and partners and its employees. General Director of the Renault automobile company from 1992 to 2005, Louis Schweitzer, in official speeches, more than once emphasized that the corporate values of the company are permeated with the spirit of French national identity: “Renault, en affirmant son identité culturelle, enracinée en France, en même temps que sa capacité d' innover, marque sa différence dans un monde où les consommateurs cherchent à exprimer leur identité et refusent, à des degrés divers, un conformisme imposé.” It was the metaphor of “racines françaises” that he persistently repeated every time it came to the values of Renault “des valeurs propres que l'entreprise a nourries tout au long de son histoire: invention technique, esprit de conquête, esprit d'équipe, racines françaises” . In the statements of his successor Karl Ghosn made regarding the merger of Renault and the Japanese company Nissan, even more than in the goals of the Auchan group, there is a desire for French cultural expansion in relation to the new branches of Renault "Chez Nissan, j"ai pu faire changer les mentalités" . He does not hesitate to declare a cultural revolution necessary to motivate new employees of the company who are not yet accustomed to the methods of work at Renault. The given examples show how significant the influence of national culture is for French companies in the polylogue of cultures. Consequently, the choice of form of address on you or to you in professional French-language communication will be largely determined by the norms developed in French culture.Forms of YOU-YOU address in French culture Traditionally, the choice of address you/you form marks the establishment and maintenance of hierarchical relationships, reducing or increasing the communication distance, expressing respect or disrespect for the interlocutor. The nuances of the relationship with the interlocutor, determined by this choice, have always been the subject of close attention from all levels of society. The very way of addressing an interlocutor in French was fixed by independent lexical units - the verbs tutoyer - addressing you, vouvoyer - addressing you, and the nouns tutoiement/vouvoiement. Dictionaries date the appearance of these verbs to the 14th century. Over the centuries, manuals for “Savoir-vivre” have recorded traditions that succeeded each other, sometimes eradicating previously existing ones, sometimes adding new rules to those already accepted in society. In French, it is the form of address to you that is called the form of politeness (vous de politesse). The Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert emphasizes that the French language has developed a special form of address based on synecdoche, which allows one to express respect for the interlocutor. At the same time, it is noted that the form you can, depending on the situation, express both less respect and a sincere attitude. Therefore, it would be more correct to talk about the markedness / neutrality of the forms of address you / you... The inaccuracy of the designation You as a form of politeness emphasizes the logic of the explicit proposal to switch to you “Tutoyons-nous! "and the absurdity for an ordinary communicative situation of the sentence "Vouvoyons-nous!". Such a sentence will indicate 1 The Encyclopedia article on the adjective singulier says: “L'usage a autorisé dans notre langue une manière de parler qui mérite d'être remarquée: c'est celle où l'on emploie par synecdoque, le nombre pluriel, au lieu du nombre singulier, quand on adresse la parole à une seule personne... l'on n'emploie que le singulier, quand on parle à une personne à qui l'on doit plus de franchise, ou moins d'égards; on lui dit, tu m’as demandé, je t’ordonne, sur tes avis” communicative failure and can only be acceptable when both interlocutors, accustomed to addressing you in an informal situation, realize the need to switch to you in an official setting. Since the second half of the 20th century, French etiquette has focused on flexibility in choosing the form of address, which is completely determined by the given communicative situation. Thus, the manuals for “Savoir-vivre”, citing the flexibility of norms and the lack of general rules, do not discuss the problem of choosing the form of address you-you for the professional sphere. They are limited to indicating unacceptable situations. If, when addressing a male colleague, it is common to address you only by the surname “Dubois, apportez-mois ce dossier, s’il vous plaît”, then the surname of a female colleague is always preceded by Madame or Mademoiselle: “Madame Dubois, apportez-mois ce dossier, s'il vous plaît." However, keeping your last name in circulation and addressing your male colleague on a personal note is no longer acceptable: * Dubois, apporte-mois ce dossier, s’il te plaît. It is especially emphasized that the address Monsieur Dubois, often used in a professional context, is unacceptable for everyday communication. Today, often the normative requirement for choosing the you/you form is symmetry of address, regardless of which form is preferred, you or you. In certain communication situations, it is impolite to maintain a distance while continuing to address the interlocutor as you, and it is the form you that is the only acceptable. Addressing you will implement positive politeness strategies in accordance with the Brown & Levinson model, demonstrating not only a desire for cooperation, but also sympathy for the interlocutor. The contribution of corporate culture to the polylogue of cultures Despite the cultural ethnocentrism of French companies, their corporate style cannot be characterized as monocultural in the P classification. R. Harris, R. T Moran. Each company's own corporate culture will determine the nature of cultural interaction within the company. Without dwelling in detail on the complex process of determining the component composition of such a complex concept as corporate culture, we only note that most researchers [S. P. Robbins, E. Shane, J. Cotter and J. Heskett, M. Lowis, S. Siela and J. Martin, M. Powers, T. Deal and A. Kennedy] identifies two main aspects of it - the value system and models behaviors that unite employees to achieve organizational goals. Often a company’s values are strongly influenced by the charismatic figure of its creator, his concept of business development. It is the founder of the company, in accordance with his values and his development logic, who lays the foundation of corporate culture - “a complex of behavioral norms, artifacts, values, ideas and concepts shared by all.” an organization creates as it learns to overcome internal and external obstacles on the path to success and prosperity." The company's values determine not only production strategies, but also personnel policies and the style of relationships between employees. These values contribute to the development of certain behavior patterns. The values and behavior patterns internalized by all employees create the uniqueness of the company in relation to the world around it. For example, the Toltal group, in a document called Code de conduite, emphasizes that adherence to ethical values and the principles of “respect, responsabilité, exemplarité” is the key to the company’s economic growth. Michelin, seeing its mission as promoting social progress, chooses “respect” as the basis of its value system, which implies not only mutual respect between clients, employees and shareholders, but also respect for the environment and history “Respect des clients, Respect des personnes, Respect actionnaires, Respect de l"environnement, Respect des faits." Among the employees of the Auchan group, the corporate style of behavior is formed thanks to the atmosphere of trust created by its founder, which is expressed in the following values "simplicité, proximité, transparency". Renault managers believe that the basis of the corporate culture is an innovative strategy and high professionalism. As formulated by one of the managers of the company “Chez Renault le plus grand risque serait de ne pas en prendre". Forms of YOU-YOU address in the corporate etiquette of French companies. Various value systems formed within the company, superimposed on those determined by the French mentality and management style will influence the ways in which hierarchical relationships are expressed. They will implement ideas about status and communication distance in everyday business communication. Moreover, the influence of national culture will always be implicit, since it acts at the level of collective programming of thoughts in Hofstede’s definition. Whereas the influence of corporate culture can be made explicit. In particular, when expressing ideas about status in the choice of you/you form of address. For example, L’Oréal’s Code of Conduct requires you to “be polite: treat your colleagues as you would like them to treat you.” This formulation means that corporate etiquette when choosing a form of address, following the traditions of French culture, is focused on the flexibility of norms. However, there are French companies that choose the form you as the only form of address for their employees, regardless of the hierarchical status of the communicants. One of the arguments that determines this choice is the desire to democratize management strategies. The democracy and universality of the form serves as an important consolidating factor for the employees of these companies. For example, the Auchan group, implementing its value system laid down by the legendary founder of the company, “simplicité, proximité, transparence” in corporate etiquette, chose the form you as the only form of address for its employees. Another important factor determining the abandonment of the You form in the corporate etiquette of many French companies, regardless of hierarchical differences, is the widespread adoption of the Anglo-Saxon model of communication. Another argument in favor of choosing the you-form can be the internal logic of the profession. Thus, the corporate communication style of AFP (Agence France Presse) journalists excludes the form You. The corporate spirit of the company, although combined with a pronounced professional individualism - a characteristic feature of the profession itself, is so strong that for its successful functioning it does not need either a charismatic leader or traditional management strategies. Often working alone, at the risk of their lives, AFP journalists are united by a high mission: to report objectively, quickly, and reliably. The address to you became for them one of the symbols of this community. If the reasons for refusing the form of address You in the corporate etiquette of French companies can be different, then what consequences can the choice of a single form of address lead to? In answering this question, it is necessary to take into account that in the national culture of the company, the pragmatic meaning of this form has always been given great importance. In international business, the French business culture has become a stereotype of autocracy. The high status of a manager in a French company is associated with such qualities as elitism, versatility, and authoritarianism in decision making. In order to emphasize the special status of the leader in French culture, in the 20th century a special professional category, cadres, was identified, whose corporate status has no analogues in any other national business culture and is comparable to the status of the highest French aristocracy. Addressing you as a norm of corporate etiquette in a French company will seek to reconcile these two opposing trends. One is based on centuries-old ideas about status in French culture. The second is due to new trends in corporate management. And although the less formal form of you becomes a manifestation of the desire for closer and more effective interaction between colleagues and partners, this apparently more democratic form hides complex mechanisms of interpersonal interaction. Behind the French you, exported as part of corporate etiquette to company branches around the world, there are in no way explicitly expressed unshakable ideas about status, which imply a lack of familiarity in relation to the manager and a priori given respect for hierarchy. Forms of YOU-YOU address in corporate French etiquette in the light of Russian culture To understand what problems thousands of employees who work in Russian divisions of French companies may face in a situation of polylogue of cultures, it is necessary to compare implicitly expressed ideas about status in French and Russian culture with explicit ones rules and regulations developed by each company. Differences in cultural traditions when using you/you forms of address in French and Russian culture are expressed in the language. In Russian there is no dictionary equivalent for the French stylistically neutral lexical units tutoyer/vouvoyer, since the Russian verbs poke/vykat are stylistically marked. And, unlike tutoyer, poking has an additional pragmatic meaning - violating the expectations of the interlocutor, who expects to hear you. A possible explanation for the lack of Russian dictionary equivalents may be the long absence in Russian culture of the need for choice in address. The tradition of using the polite you became established in the Russian language much later than in French culture, only in the 18th century. As the Dictionary of Russian Speech Etiquette points out, this form of address became entrenched in the Russian language in the “post-Petrine era under the influence of Western European, in particular German and French, speech etiquette.” And since the Russian cultural tradition of explicitly expressing the distance of communication through the forms of address you/you was developed to a large extent under the influence of the French, the sociolinguistic factors determining the choice of you/you forms of address will be the same for two cultures: hierarchical status, social status, degree of familiarity, formality of the situation , the nature of the relationship between the communicants. Therefore, in both French and Russian culture, many norms when choosing the You form of address coincide. However, the address to you is culturally conditioned. A. Wierzbicka classifies the form you, and not you, as semantic primitives, but notes that there may not be pragmatic equivalence in the use of this form in different languages due to different cultural traditions. It is this lack of equivalence that is observed in Russian and French. It can be assumed that the pragmatic meaning of you in Russian culture was influenced by the existence for a long time of a single form of address. Compared to French, addressing you in Russian seems to be the preferred form to interlocutors only if communication takes place in an informal setting. The refusal of the formal You is assessed by Russian-speaking interlocutors as a transition from a normative to a more familiar form of communication. The formality of the situation has a significant influence on the choice of You-form. In the absence of informal relations, your uniform is assessed by work colleagues as disrespectful, regardless of their status, superior or subordinate. Russian culture is characterized by greater communicative accessibility, which contributes to greater freedom and openness in communication. The use of you in Russian corporate culture will be perceived as a “sign of special trust.” Your address will serve as a signal for Russian employees to significantly reduce the social distance of communication. Based on the fact that Russians “have personal space, if not absent..., then minimal,” communication in private will allow them to count not on formal, but on real closeness in relations with their French colleagues. However, the French carefully monitor the maintenance of communication distance, clearly separating the social and personal spheres of communication. A reduction in the social distance of communication on the part of Russian colleagues will be perceived by them as an invasion of their personal sphere, which always causes hostility and a desire to distance themselves. Conclusions Comparing the norms for using forms of address in French and Russian culture, it can be assumed that in French companies whose corporate etiquette does not prescribe this or that form of address to their employees, Russian specialists will not have significant culturally-related problems in communicating with French colleagues. The corporate etiquette of these companies is based on the norms developed by the national French culture. In business communication, Russian colleagues are more likely to prefer maintaining You-forms in the absence of informal relationships. If the norms of corporate etiquette of French companies do not correspond to French cultural traditions, then differences in the pragmatic interpretation of the address in French and Russian culture can lead to communicative failures. The conclusions that were formulated as a result of the analysis of one of the norms of corporate etiquette, namely the expression of communication distance through you/you forms of address, will be valid for all aspects of corporate culture. For example, such important concepts for corporate culture as management style and ideas about leadership will depend on many factors, one of which will be the style of communication in “you” or “you”. Speaking about the company’s values, it is necessary to compare what stands in the national culture of the company and the national culture of the employee behind such basic categories as respect, responsabilité, exemplarité, proximité. Their semantic scope will vary in each national culture. As for models of corporate behavior, the mechanisms of decision-making and interaction with customers will also be culturally determined. In order for Russian employees of French companies to develop the right behavioral strategies without violating corporate norms based on the system of values and behavior patterns developed in the company, they must understand that these norms function in the context of a polylogue of cultures. And only awareness of the differences in the interpretation of corporate norms through the prism of the national culture of the company and the national culture of the employee allows effective interaction in international professional communication. Literature 1. Formanovskaya N.I. Russian speech etiquette: linguistic and methodological aspects. - M.: Publishing house. LKI, 2008. 2. Sainsaulieu R. Sociologie de l'entreprise, Presses de la FNSP et Dalloz, Paris, 1997. 3. Lewis R. D. Business cultures in international business. - M.: Delo, 1999. 4. Devillard O. Rey D. Culture d’entreprise: un actif stratégique. – Paris: Dunond, 2008. 5. Persikova T.N. Intercultural communication and corporate culture. M.: Logos, 2008. 6. Foulon Ch. André Malraux et le rayonnement culturel de la France. – P.: Editions Complexe, 2004. 7. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française. – Paris: Larousse. – 1938. 8. http://fr.wikisource.org [Electronic resource]/ Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Vol. 15.- Access mode: http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/L%E2%80%99Encyclop%C3%A9die 9. Maingueneau D. Elements de linguistique pour le texte littéraire. – Paris: Dunond, 2003. 10. Denuelle S. Le savoir-vivre. Guide pratique des bons usages d'aujourd'hui. – Paris: Larousse, 1992. 11. 500 trucs pour mieux communiquer au travail. – Paris: Larousse, 2002. - 12. Coffen B. Histoire culturelle des pronoms d’adresse. Vers une typologie des systèmes allocutoires dans les langues romanes. - Paris: Honoré Champion Ed., 2002. 13. Larina T. V. Category of politeness and style of communication: Comparison of English and Russian linguistic and cultural traditions. – M.: Manuscript monuments of Ancient Rus', 2009. 14. Moshe Banai The ethnocentric staffing policy in multinational corporations a self-fulfilling prophecy. The International Journal of Human Resource Management Vol. 3, Issue 3, 1992 p. 451-472 15. D "Iribarne Ph. Cultures et mondialisation. - Paris: Seuil, 1998. 16. Orthoepic dictionary of the Russian language: Pronunciation, stress, grammatical forms. / Edited by R. I. Avanesov. 17. http:/ /www.gramota.ru [Electronic resource]/ A. Balakai. Dictionary of Russian speech etiquette. - M: AST-press, 2001. - Access mode: http://www.gramota.ru/spravka/letters/?rub= rubric_88 18. Vezhbitskaya A. Semantics, culture and cognition: universal human concepts in culture-specific contexts./ Thesis. - Issue 3. - M., 1993. - P. 185-206 19. Signes, Discours et Sociétés. Interculturalité et intercommunication. -[Electronic resource]/ Claudel Chantal. Les formes allocutoires dans le maintien des faces ou, gare à “vous". - Access mode: http://revue-signes.info/document.php?id=187 20. Dialogue communications in business. Internet conference. [Electronic resource]/ Zhukova T. S. Appeal as a tool for building effective dialogic communications. - Access mode: http://ecsocman.hse.ru/text/33435605/ Electronic resources - Corporate Internet sites 1. http://histoire.total.com/FR/Chronologie_illustree/ 2. http://www.total.com/fr/groupe/presentation-du-groupe/principes-ethiques/code-conduite-900024.html 3 . http://www.michelin.com/corporate 4. http://www.michelin.fr/lentreprise/michelin-monde 5. http://www.auchan.ru/ru/auchan_in_russia 6. http://www .asmp.fr/travaux/communications/2001/schweitzer.htm 7. http://www.lesechos.fr/ghosn_renault_nissan/ghosn_sommaire.htm 8. http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/html/company /pdf/ethics_book_russian.pdf

To be happy, you need to know well all the features of this country. Including those features that relate to the sphere of culture. Otherwise, you may be misunderstood, and a large number of other unpleasant situations may occur. Therefore, we will discuss everything you need to know if you are going to The necessary minimum, which will really help you feel confident, so that you are always correctly understood by the French.

About address etiquette

As one Russian satirist said, Russia is the only country where people address each other by gender. And indeed it is. The addresses “man” or “girl”, and even more so such as “grandmother” or “grandfather” are nonsense for civilized countries. In all European countries there is a special appeal, for example, to a man, emphasizing his human dignity. In England, for example, it is “sir”, in Germany “herz”. In France, accordingly, “Monsieur”. Learn this appeal to all men as soon as you come to live in France. At the same time, the address “Monsieur” does not in any way indicate the social status of the person you are addressing; it does not carry such an intelligent connotation as the word “gentleman,” for example. All that is contained in it is recognition of the human dignity of the one to whom you are addressing. And in France, as you know, every person has this dignity, so every Frenchman expects you to address him this way.

Well, what about the beautiful half of humanity? Here everything is a little more complicated. Because at all times there were two options for address, namely “mademoiselle” for unmarried girls and “madame” for married ones. All this was laid down in those days when the life of each representative of the fair sex was actually divided into two halves by marriage: in those days, married and unmarried women were obliged to dress differently, comb their hair differently, and so on. Therefore, in those days there was no difficulty in addressing even a randomly encountered woman in an appropriate manner. Now, with the advent of a large number of women who have been married more than once or generally live in open relationships, and most importantly, with the disappearance of external differences and a special code that allows one to distinguish between married and unmarried, it has become no longer so easy to choose the right address. What to do? When you meet an unfamiliar woman, do you try to find out her marital status before approaching her? Nonsense, especially since asking questions about family affairs in France is generally not considered decent with a person you are not well acquainted with. For this reason, in case of any doubt, you should contact Madam. In any case, you should address “madam” to a woman with whom you have a purely business relationship. A purely business relationship is not only a joint business, but, for example, this is how you need to contact a female lawyer if you come for a consultation, a female doctor at an appointment, a woman who services your banking transactions, and so on.

Recently, women in France have been fighting to abolish this “mademoiselle” altogether, because it is a manifestation of “sexism”. What is sexism is a difficult question for a person who comes from another country. This word usually refers to everything that makes differences between men and women. In this case, this is exactly what happens: for men of any age and status there is only one address - “Monsieur”, while women have two.

But on the other hand, the two appeals were adopted not only in France. And in Russia, the same one where people address themselves “by gender”, there are also “girls” and “women”. Is this related to the presence or absence of marriage? Most likely not anymore. This is more likely due to age. And not with age as such, because it is not written on the face, but with how this age is perceived by others. So any Russian woman is pleased to hear “girl”, and the older she is, the more pleasant it is. The situation is practically the same in France - “mademoiselle” is perceived as a “younger” title, so even the most serious women are unlikely to be offended by it. This address is ideal for schoolgirls and students, and also, since it has already been said that “madame” is becoming more and more an address for business negotiations, “mademoiselle” begins to introduce a connotation of something personal. If you address a French woman as "Mademoiselle" and you are not twice her age, this may show that you have a personal interest in communicating with this person.

In general, there is nothing complicated here. When in any doubt, use “madam” - in the case of a woman you don’t know well, this is an even more ideal option that no one will ever be offended by, because it first of all emphasizes the woman’s human dignity.

About greetings in France

The French are very fond of variety in this regard. They will not be content, unlike the same boring Englishmen, with one word for greeting and farewell. Although it is customary to say “Bonjour” and “Aurevoir”, in most cases they can wish you “a good trip”, and “a good shower”, and “a good dinner”. That is, it is advisable to also learn several forms - and apply them, paying attention to what the person is going to do. Such wishes are also proof that you are more interested in the person, and this will be pleasant for anyone.

In addition, if you even just wish good morning, be sure to add “madame” or “monsieur”. If you do not add appeals, it may not look very polite. You should especially remember to do this when you are communicating with people who are not yet very familiar to you.

If you communicate with a person closely enough, then when greeting him, you can address him by name. However, in general, calling by name is not very popular in France; this option is used mainly for those people with whom you have really been communicating for a long time and have a certain trust in each other.

About the conversation in France

The French are a very hot nation. And you will immediately understand this as soon as you have the opportunity to participate in a conversation with them. For example, in France there is no prohibition against interrupting your interlocutor. Even if this is a boss (naturally, not of such a high level that everyone gets chills in his presence, but an ordinary boss), the French can object or interrupt in the middle of a sentence. This is not considered an insult, but, on the contrary, indicates inclusion in the dialogue, which is only encouraged. In addition, if you have just begun to express some idea with which the Frenchman does not agree, he may already begin to argue or criticize in the middle of your tirade. This is also normal, you shouldn’t be offended by it. At their core, the French are generally very critical and love to argue; even in the best idea, the French will still find something that can be criticized and about which they can express their dissatisfaction. By the way, this is simply wonderful for many business projects, for example. Having announced a new project, you will immediately learn all its weak points from your French interlocutors.

At the same time, there are some topics that it is undesirable to touch upon if you arrive live in France for permanent residence and did not yet have time to get to know the interlocutors closely.

1. Family theme. “He got divorced,” “she’s going to have another child,” “they fight all the time, so why don’t they get divorced?” All these are not topics that the French like. Here it is believed that family life is truly a personal life, so you shouldn’t meddle in where you don’t ask. Such gossip, and especially questioning each other on such topics, is not welcome in French society. The fact is that every Frenchman values the right to his own freedom - and based on this, he values the right to freedom of others. It all comes down to the golden rule: “don’t do to others what you don’t want to do to yourself.” And if you don't want your family problems discussed in your absence, then in France you are expected not to do that either. By the way, if you ask a young French girl a completely innocent and banal question by Russian standards, “When will you get married?”, you can, at best, run into a polite counter-question about why you are interested in this problem. Indeed, who and when will get married/divorced/have children is their own business. In France, personal freedom is respected, and this is generally one of the reasons why many decide to come

2. The topic of money. The French don't really like to discuss money. In particular, how they earn money and their level of income, as well as how much everyone can afford to spend, how much money someone has in their bank account, and so on. True, there are two exceptions here. The French love to complain about high prices and taxes, so you're sure to hear a lot of indignant tirades about this. You can always support such a topic, or you can express such thoughts yourself - especially since the level of prices and taxes in France is really very high. The French also love to talk about discounts and opportunities to buy something cheaper. This is a very practical and economical nation, such a theme is very welcome here.

3. Theme of religion and politics. It’s not that it’s forbidden, but if you start talking about it, especially among people you don’t know very well, you can easily run into sharp opponents with whom you will never come to a compromise. So it’s better to talk about such topics only with like-minded people.

In general, there is always a topic that will not cause debates and quarrels and will almost always be pleasant, namely the topic of food. The French love to eat good food, and just as much they love to talk about good food. So in any incomprehensible situation, as they say, start talking about food - and they will understand and love you.

Table manners in France

Since we're talking about food, let's briefly talk about how to behave at the table in France, and in general when visiting.

1. It is better to come to visit a little later than the appointed time. In Russia, it is considered a good option to arrive at 17.45, if you were invited at six o’clock, this way you will demonstrate your punctuality. In France, if you are invited to six in the evening, then in fact they usually mean 18.15-18.30. Unless, of course, we are talking about events or transport that are clearly related to the schedule. So don't be afraid to be late. The remaining minutes are better spent buying something. In France, it is customary to bring with you what you plan to eat during lunch or dinner, although, of course, the hosts must put something on the table. Don't expect to be fed to your heart's content when you go on a visit to France. If you are hungry, eat in advance or buy food for yourself and take it with you. By the way, in France you don’t have to share everything you bring with you. If you bought a chocolate bar, then you can eat it yourself - although, of course, it would be polite to offer it to others, but they will most likely refuse.

2. In France, it is not customary to give flowers on all occasions - for example, it is not very customary to bring them to birthdays, unless it is a special occasion. Perhaps the French are simply practical, but flowers are not a very practical gift. If you buy flowers, then under no circumstances buy white ones - in France this is a sign of mourning. To remember this better, imagine how you will look in Russia if you come to your birthday with two carnations in your hands. This is exactly how you will look in France with a bouquet of white roses. Better buy good wine and chocolate. However, in France all the wine is good, because it is a wine country, so here you will only buy the best alcoholic drinks.

3. Be sure to praise the dishes that are offered to you. Even if it's just cookies from the store. And even more so if the owners tried to prepare something special. It is not very decent to eat food silently, without commenting in any way, as if you are not interested in its taste. Be sure to praise or even ask for the recipe - a cook is always pleased to see interest in what he has prepared. In France, it is advisable to finish everything you set for yourself and not leave food on your plate. At the same time, you will not be offered more and more, as is often practiced in Russia. Adding additional salt to food is also considered not very polite - it seems to show that the cook made a mistake with the dosage. As a last resort, it is better to do this unnoticed.

In general, France is a free country, where there are not so many cliches and inviolable principles. Behave sincerely - and you will always be understood here.

French abbreviations or letter abbreviations are called They are a sequence of capital letters of several words. These letters form a single word, for example B.P. – B oîte p ostale – mailbox.

Such abbreviations are convenient in speech in order to save time. As you may have guessed, friends, today we will introduce you to the main abbreviations of the French language.

How to read French abbreviations correctly?

It is worth saying a few words about this here. If an abbreviation has dots between capital letters, as in T.G.V, for example, then such an abbreviation must be spelled out, but if there are no dots, then as one word.

However, recently there has been a tendency in the French language to simplify the language, so in written form, abbreviations in French can be written without dots. If you come across a French letter abbreviation, it is better to remember it right away, then in the future it will be easier for you to understand reading these abbreviations.

The most common sigles français

Friends, please note: here are the most common and frequently used French abbreviations:

A.N.P.E. – Agence nationale pour l’emploi – National Employment Agency
B.C.B.G. –Bon chic bon genre – Great style, great attitude
P. – Boîte postale – Mailbox
B.O. –Bulletin officiel – Official newspaper
D. – Compact disc
R.F. – Croix – Rouge Française – French Red Cross
V. – Curriculum vitae – Summary
D.D. – Contract à durée déterminée – Fixed-term contract
C.D.I. –Contract à durée indéterminée – Contract for an indefinite period
DOM – Département d’outre – mer – Overseas Department
D.F. – Electricité de France – Electricity of France
ENNA - École normale nationale d’apprentissage – National School of Training
C. – Formations continues – Continuing education
M.I. - Fonds monétaire international – International Monetary Fund
D.F. – Gaz de France – Gas of France

Examples of French abbreviations

J.O. –Jeux Olympiques – Olympic Games
L.P. -Lycée professionnel – Professional Lyceum
P.D.G. –Président – directeur général – President General Director
P.N.B. –Produit national brut – Gross national product
PACS – Le pacte civil de solidarité – Civil Pact of Solidarity
I. – Quotient intellectuel – Intelligence quotient
C.M. – Questionnaire à choix multiple – Multiple choice questionnaire
D.F. – Sans domicile fixe – Homeless
N.C.F. – Société nationale des chemins de fer français – National Society of French Railways
P.A. – Société protectrice des animaux – Society for the Protection of Animals
SAMU – Service d’aide médicale d’urgence – Emergency Medical Service
SMIC – Salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance – Minimum wage increase
G.V. – Train à grande vitesse – High-speed train
T.C. – Toutes taxes comprises – All cost included
T.V.A. –Taxe à la valeur ajoutée – Value added tax
U.E. –Union Européenne – European Union
T.T. – Vélo tout – terrain – Cycling

And a few more abbreviations:

M. or M – Monsieur – Master
or MM – Messieurs – Gentlemen
Mme – Madame – Mistress
Mmes – Mesdames – Ladies
Me – Maître – Maitre (appeal to a notary or lawyer)
Dr – Docteur – Doctor
or Dir – Directeur – Director
Cie – Compagnie – Company
Sté or Soc. or Soc – Société – Society
S.A. or S.A. or SA – Société anonyme – Anonymous Society
S.A.R.L. or S.A.R.L. or SARL – Société à responsabilité limitée – Limited Liability Company

Some abbreviations

Ets – Établissements – Establishment
Crs – Courses – City Boulevard
– Expéditeur – Forwarder
or av. or Av or av – Avenue – Prospect, Avenue
Bd or bd – Boulevard – Boulevard
Fg or fg – Faubourg – Suburbs
or pl. or Pl or pl – Place – Area
Rte or rte – Route – Road
Bt – Bâtiment – Building
or sq. or Sq or sq – Square – Square
Nos réf. or n/réf. or N/réf. – Nos références – Outgoing number
Vos réf. or v/réf. or V/réf. – Vos références – Incoming number
– Objet – Theme
PJ – Ann. – Pieces jointes en annexe – Attached documents
P/P or PP. or pp. – Par procuration – By proxy
P/O or p/o – Par ordre – OK

Remember these abbreviations, they will definitely come in handy when communicating in French.