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Home | Reference & Education | Books 1. What does it mean to be a foreigner or a stranger? 2. Are they the same thing? 3.What role do the innate characteristics one has as a result of being raised in a certain country and environment have to do with how easily one adapts to a new country, and with whether or not one is easily identified as being a stranger. In this presentation, I will explore these concepts via the life of Jacques Casanova as well as the stereotypes associated with Paris and foreigners in Paris in general. Thus, in so doing, I will reflect on the topic of what it means to follow in the shadow of a foreigner. In order to begin to understand Casanova's work it is helpful to begin by examining the reasons why he wrote it in the first place. On January 10, 1791, Casanova himself wrote the following words in a letter to the Hapsburg inspector of finances, Johann Ferdinand Opiz, one of his most loyal correspondents. "I am writing "My Life" to laugh at myself, and I am succeeding. I write thirteen hours a day, and they pass like thirteen minutes. What pleasure in remembering one's pleasures! But what effort to recall them to mind! It amuses me because I am inventing nothing." (V) Thus it is evident in considering Casanova's own words that he made as close of an effort as possible to convey his life and adventures as they actually took place. Therefore, this allows us as readers to succeed in truly understanding the aforementioned phenomenon in regarding strangers and foreigners because the story is more or less a true one. What does it mean to be a stranger or a foreigner? At first glance, there are certain words, which come to mind. First of all, the implication that someone is marginalized or not accepted in the society in which they live for one reason or another. They also imply the fact that someone is different from the majority of people with whom they are associated. Whereas foreigner normally, implies someone from a different country or a different culture other than the one in which they are currently living, stranger can not only imply the same concepts as foreigner but also can indicate that either the person is strange for some reason or the person is not familiar to the other person, that is to say that someone is a stranger because you do not know the person. However, in French there is only one word to convey both of these ideas. That is the word "etranger". Thus when Casanova wrote his autobiography in French there was no way to distinguish between the two. There are many examples of the ways in which Casanova labels himself as a Foreigner. The first and most obvious is the same way in which all foreigners distinguish themselves from the natives when they first arrive in a foreign country. That is the aspect of language. "Monsieur, I find you very promising for someone who has been here but a day. You will make rapid progress. I find that you tell a story well. You speak French well enough to make yourself perfectly understood; but you used Italian phrasing in everything you said. You make people listen, you are interesting, and the novelty of your speech makes your speech doubly attentive. I would even say that your idiom cannot help but captivate your listeners, because it is so strange and new. Still, in spite of all of this, you must begin, no later than tomorrow, to make every effort to learn our language, for in two or three months the very people who are now applauding you will begin to mock you." (168) This important statement said to Casanova by Crebillion an elderly Frenchman of great importance in Casanova's adventures in Paris illustrates several points. First of all, it points out the import role that language plays in determining if someone is viewed as a foreigner or as a native. It is especially interesting to note that he mentions his good French but spoken with an Italian twist. This is the major problem in language learning experienced by all fluent speakers of second languages. Regardless of the learner's excellent knowledge of grammar and mastery of vocabulary, succeeding in learning of all the idioms and intricacies of a second language necessary to sound like a native is a near impossible task The third item of importance in his statement is the mentioning of the fact that native speakers who are tolerant when someone is new in the country increase their expectations over time. This is especially true of the French. In fact, it could even be said that this is one of the most common French stereotypes. That the French are pickier about their language and the way it is spoken and pronounced than perhaps any other nationality. A year later, Casanova writes of his continuing struggle in mastering the French language. "I went to Crebillion's house three times a week for an entire year and learned all the French I know from him. I have never succeeded in completely ridding myself of Italianisms, however; I recognize them when I find them in others, but when they issue from my own pen I do not see them, and I am certain that I never shall." (169) An excellent example of his awkward language occurs after he insults a lady, when he says, "Oh! I beg a thousand pardons." (171) Although in its English translation this sounds correct, in the correct French it should be simply I beg thousand pardons without an a. Another good example is when he says, "Nature cheated this unique woman of ten years of life." (161) Again, this sounds correct in English but in French it would be more correct to say Nature cheated this unique woman of ten years of her life. The aspect of acquiring an accent of a native speaker is also important to consider in regards to language as an obvious indicator of a foreigner. A classic example of this importance can be illustrated by the following passage. "I beg your pardon, monsieur, they are even calfoutrees." "At this they all erupted into loud laughter, and I was mortified to realize that I had mispronounced the word calfoutrees. I sat their feeling humiliated."(187) Thus the pronunciation of one's words and one's accent can easily dispose one as being a foreigner if one is not careful and is often a strong indicator even if one does pay careful attention to the matter. Another way in which Casanova labels himself as a foreigner is in his lack of cultural knowledge and know how. He makes great efforts to blend in to the French society of which he has become a part but somehow he is lacking. An excellent example of this is when he says to someone "perhaps nothing ever became known."(188) And the obvious response is that "everything is known at the court."This shows his lack of cultural knowledge, as this is something of which anyone that is even vaguely familiar with the French culture and know how at the time is familiar. Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
AnnaLaura Brown is a successful team leader in an international organization. She can be contacted through her website She also runs an ecourse on online marketing
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