Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why the French love to say no
“Non” in
France does not always mean ‘no’. In fact, the French ‘no’ is often an
invitation to debate, engage and better understand one another.
Children learn to be critical of their opinions
or thoughts in school where 12 out of a scale of 20 is given an honorable
mention. Bureaucrats of France make every effort trying not to be blamed for
being wrong and have made the administrative system old-fashioned and
inefficient. But that necessarily mean that they never say or mean yes or “oui.”
French people just tend to hide agreement in the context of what is being said,
including tone, body language, setting, and situation. So, if you want to get “oui”
from a French person, you may want to have him or her say “non” several times
before presenting your intended suggestion or opinion.
It’s quite interesting that French culture distinctly
differs especially from American’s where their independence from the British
rule ended only 13 years earlier than the French Revolution which started with saying
“no” to their nine-country-long monarchical rule.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about
what “non” really mean in France.
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