Reading the Package / En lisant l’emballage
Just two countries in the entire world have English and French as their only official languages: Cameroon and Canada.
For us Canadians, this means that packaged products are required by federal law to be labeled in English and French. This regulation was designed to ease commerce between English- and French-speaking populations. But it’s had an extraordinarily positive side-effect: every pantry, dining table, and trip to the grocery store is an opportunity for informal language acquisition.
Food packaging is a surprisingly ideal way to pick up new vocabulary. Even if you don’t understand the French, the English subtitles are right there to help you along. And once you figure out what the French means, your learning experience is paired with a concrete object and a sensory experience (yum), which act as mnemonics, helping you remember the new word. And unless you can polish off a box of Lucky Charms in one sitting (which is entirely possible for me), you’ll have the opportunity to reread that box on several, separate occasions, which further ingrains the new word in your brain.
Learning another language gives us insight into the strengths and shortcomings of our own language, it gives us new ways of seeing the world around us, and it even reveals something of our history. At the very least, it’s something to entertain us over breakfast.
Below is a growing collection of packages that helped me expand my French vocabulary while offering insights beyond my dining table. The images are titled in English, French, and the literal translation from French into English.
Visitors to Canada are often surprised to find out that not everyone here speaks French. But second language acquisition is a life-long process that all literate Canadians engage in when we read the label. For my fellow Canadians who don’t consider themselves bilingual, perhaps the following images will convince you otherwise. At least, I hope they will inspire you to spend more time reading the package. (Click here for my literature review on Second Language Learning and Bilingual Environmental Print. Comments welcome!)
Vinegar / vinaigre
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Herbal Tea / tisane
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Paper Towel / essuie-tout
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Sunflower / tournesol
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Flaxseed / graines de lin
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Cauliflower/chou-fleur
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Dandelion / pissenlit
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Bouillon / bouillon
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Yeast / levure
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Petroleum Jelly / gelée de pétrole
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