Alliance Française de Sarasota forges ahead with educational offerings

There is a lot involved in learning a language. 

In fact, for instructor Marie-Christine Hegedus, it was even a physical activity when she came to the United States 30 years ago. 

In English, she notes, speakers end words with their mouth open (“hi”). In French, they end them with their mouth closed (“bonjour”).

“My mouth was hurting so much, and one day I told my husband, I have to go see a doctor because this is not normal... and I discovered that it's because all my muscles were working differently all day, and it took me a good year to not have pain around all here,” she said, gesturing to her mouth.

One aspect of French that non-native speakers may have trouble with, she notes, is making an "r" sound that comes from deep within the throat, unlike in English, where it comes from the mouth. 

As an instructor with the Alliance Française de Sarasota, a local chapter of an organization promoting the French language and culture, she's responsible for teaching those nuances. The alliance is part of a worldwide network containing over 830 chapters in 133 countries. 

“Sarasota is one of the smallest, but we're working on making it being one of the best in the country,” said Helen Hreen, president of the alliance. 

Hreen said the organization is working on growing its educational initiatives, attempting to appeal more to people who are serious about learning the language.

The alliance just hosted its Bastille Day party at Sahib Shriners on July 12, an event for the French holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille, the pivotal moment in the French Revolution.

Photo by Ian Swaby

The event featured dinner, music, dancing and a silent auction. 

“A lot of the funds that we that we raise at this particular time of year at this party really do help us with our operating budget, which is very important, because we are a nonprofit and we don't make a lot of money, but we make enough to get by,” she said.

Hreen notes that in the past, French served as a global language of the European elite before it was supplanted by English. 

Sarasota also shares a connection with France due to its sister city relationship with the town of Perpignan. The partnership, established in 1994, is the oldest of the six Sarasota has around the world.

The connection was represented at Bastille Day by members of the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, as well as Louis Gallois, 19, a student from Perpignan who came to the U.S. to study English. 

Photo by Ian Swaby

Gaining proficiency in English is one of the requirements he must fulfill as he studies for what he calls the "job of my dreams" — an airline pilot.  

“I have to attain the, like, bilingual level, so this is a huge challenge for me,” he said, noting he was practicing an English-speaking accent as well. He said he was already learning more quickly due to the immersion in the language. 

Staff from the association said they were making sure to keep Gallois busy with trips to the major attractions in Sarasota. His experiences also included helping lead the room in "La Marseillaise" at Bastille Day. 

“It's my first experience, my first time in the U.S., and it’s great," he said.

Hreen said opportunities to learn French are limited for students in Sarasota, and the alliance receives many calls from parents seeking French education.  

The organization aims to branch out to kids and is planning to work with a homeschool drop-off enrichment cooperative, Pathways of Play. 

The organization serves Pre-K through fifth grade and its educational method emphasizes play and movement as tools for learning. The alliance is currently working with founder Ashley Hostetter on the details of the instruction, which is planned to start in the fall. 

Photo by Ian Swaby

“When we found out about Pathways of Play and that we could maybe coordinate a program with their students to start early childhood French education, Ashley thought it might be a great idea, so we're very, very happy to find this place,” Hreen said.

Hegedus said that, with the adult courses, instructors are now assigning homework, something they were not doing before, but she said class attendees have been eager to put in the extra effort. 

Attendees are primarily retirees, she said, although there are younger students as well. Some of the offerings include core classes, specialty classes such as "French for Travelers," and private tutoring. 

She said with their knowledge of the culture of France, instructors can also offer something that not everyone can who knows only the language.

Instructor Émilie Billard-Mirabella said she'll often bake some French treats and bring them to class. 

“We know things, perhaps more that other people don't know because we are French, we were raised in France, and we go there all the time, and we love it," Hegedus said. "We are proud of it.”

“Language opens a door to a vast array of intercultural activities that are enhanced when you have a knowledge of another language, so we try to support everything French that we all love in common, and it's a community,” Hreen said.