May.25,2012
At 10 a.m., May 18th, French scholar Claude Jurd de Girancourt, invited by the Institute of French Language and Culture, delivered two lectures about French language and high technology for students.
Mr. Jurd de Girancourt is an expert on French culture and ever served as a foreign teacher in our school. During his service, he fostered a strong connection with all the staff and students. His returning for lecture enjoyed a great popularity among students and the atmosphere over lecture was warm and active.
In the morning lecture titled with “The Origin of French and English”, Mr. Jurd de Girancourt introduced the mutual influence during the development of English and French from a macro perspective on European major language systems. Combing pictures and news together, he cited abundant interesting French and English words and talked about historical stories behind these words through comparison, which benefited present students of all grades. After one and a half hours, he answered sharp questions including Chinese words in French, which pushed forward a climax of discussion.
In the following afternoon lecture, Mr. Jurd de Girancourt opened a brand-new topic—French high technology. He came up with an idea that France did not only have Balzac, Eiffel Tower and romantic emotions, but also played an important role as an advanced science and technology creator. The lecture was concerned with five aspects of autos, public transportation, aviation, aerospace, and nuclear.
Through the lectures, the students from the Institute of French Language and Culture get better understanding about two France --- one is traditional France with social changes during the evolution of French language; the other is modern France with constant scientific innovation.
(Translated by CHEN Qian)
