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| In Paris Suburbs, Adopting a Dreaded School Test as a Tool of Integration | In Paris Suburbs, Adopting a Dreaded School Test as a Tool of Integration |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| FONTENAY-SOUS-BOIS, France — There may be no part of French schooling more apt to induce nausea and sweaty palms faster than the dreaded dictation. The teacher reads a passage from a famous work of French literature, and the student writes it down, verbatim. And is graded on every mistake. | FONTENAY-SOUS-BOIS, France — There may be no part of French schooling more apt to induce nausea and sweaty palms faster than the dreaded dictation. The teacher reads a passage from a famous work of French literature, and the student writes it down, verbatim. And is graded on every mistake. |
| For a language in which the written word often bears little resemblance to the spoken one, the exercise has at once become the legendary bane of generations of schoolchildren as well as a rite of passage — even indoctrination — to actually being French. | |
| So more than a few French would consider the idea of taking a nice Saturday afternoon to do a dictation for fun nothing less than “fou” — or crazy. | So more than a few French would consider the idea of taking a nice Saturday afternoon to do a dictation for fun nothing less than “fou” — or crazy. |
| But that is what 60 or so people from all ages and social backgrounds — grandparents and children, wives and husbands, teenagers, and immigrants — did on a recent Saturday. And not just this once. | But that is what 60 or so people from all ages and social backgrounds — grandparents and children, wives and husbands, teenagers, and immigrants — did on a recent Saturday. And not just this once. |
| The collective dictations, known as “La Dictée des Cités,” started three years ago. Today they travel from one heavily immigrant Paris suburb to another every Saturday, taking all comers. | The collective dictations, known as “La Dictée des Cités,” started three years ago. Today they travel from one heavily immigrant Paris suburb to another every Saturday, taking all comers. |
| They are the inspiration of Abdellah Boudour, 30, a French-Algerian civil servant from Argenteuil, a suburb of northwestern Paris, who came up with the idea through his work fighting inequalities for young people at his association, Force des Mixités. | They are the inspiration of Abdellah Boudour, 30, a French-Algerian civil servant from Argenteuil, a suburb of northwestern Paris, who came up with the idea through his work fighting inequalities for young people at his association, Force des Mixités. |
| When he met Rachid Santaki, 42, a writer of thrillers from the suburb of Saint-Denis, they decided to turn the once-terrifying school exercise into a playful competition for people in the neighborhood, offering a way for all, including immigrants, to claim the French language as their own. | When he met Rachid Santaki, 42, a writer of thrillers from the suburb of Saint-Denis, they decided to turn the once-terrifying school exercise into a playful competition for people in the neighborhood, offering a way for all, including immigrants, to claim the French language as their own. |
| “We started with 40 chairs on the cobblestones in my neighborhood and we ended up with a record-breaking — of more than a thousand people last year in front of Saint-Denis Basilica,” Mr. Boudour said. | “We started with 40 chairs on the cobblestones in my neighborhood and we ended up with a record-breaking — of more than a thousand people last year in front of Saint-Denis Basilica,” Mr. Boudour said. |
| The event usually gathers 60 to 200 people and also travels through several cities in France. “No one expected it would work so well, but it was a way to gather people around a common thing, the love for French language,” Mr. Boudour said. | The event usually gathers 60 to 200 people and also travels through several cities in France. “No one expected it would work so well, but it was a way to gather people around a common thing, the love for French language,” Mr. Boudour said. |
| Mr. Boudour and Mr. Santaki travel all over the outskirts of Paris, from gymnasiums to school cafeterias, to hold dictations on passages from French literature, choosing the texts according to the history of the neighborhood or the names of the streets. | Mr. Boudour and Mr. Santaki travel all over the outskirts of Paris, from gymnasiums to school cafeterias, to hold dictations on passages from French literature, choosing the texts according to the history of the neighborhood or the names of the streets. |
| They often pick classics — extracts from the iconic works of Victor Hugo, like “Les Misérables,” or from Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary” or “Sentimental Education.” | They often pick classics — extracts from the iconic works of Victor Hugo, like “Les Misérables,” or from Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary” or “Sentimental Education.” |
| “Some come because of the nostalgia,” Mr. Santaki said. “Others want to improve their French, and others are just attracted by the lure of the profit, since we offer gifts for the winners.” | “Some come because of the nostalgia,” Mr. Santaki said. “Others want to improve their French, and others are just attracted by the lure of the profit, since we offer gifts for the winners.” |
| The French obsession with mastering every aspect of their language has an almost chauvinistic quality — strangers, unprompted, will sometimes correct a foreigner’s pronunciation or spell a word aloud for them. | The French obsession with mastering every aspect of their language has an almost chauvinistic quality — strangers, unprompted, will sometimes correct a foreigner’s pronunciation or spell a word aloud for them. |
| The dictation is not so far from the American concept of the spelling bee, but it is more deeply embedded in the national identity. | The dictation is not so far from the American concept of the spelling bee, but it is more deeply embedded in the national identity. |
| “It was also a way to select people,” said Daniel Luzzati, a linguist and the author of a book on French spelling. At the beginning of the 19th century, he said, “Napoleon Bonaparte made the dictation mandatory to hire civil servants, for instance.” | “It was also a way to select people,” said Daniel Luzzati, a linguist and the author of a book on French spelling. At the beginning of the 19th century, he said, “Napoleon Bonaparte made the dictation mandatory to hire civil servants, for instance.” |
| “It was a way to show you belonged to the French nation,” he added. | “It was a way to show you belonged to the French nation,” he added. |
| Not least, the rigidity of the dictation has also been the subject of long arguments over its heuristic value as a learning method. | Not least, the rigidity of the dictation has also been the subject of long arguments over its heuristic value as a learning method. |
| “I remember it was the only school exercise where your grade could be under zero,” said Yoni Diibril, 28, who attended one recent session. “It was the worst, since every mistake on a word could cost you. The dictation must have traumatized more than one kid.” | “I remember it was the only school exercise where your grade could be under zero,” said Yoni Diibril, 28, who attended one recent session. “It was the worst, since every mistake on a word could cost you. The dictation must have traumatized more than one kid.” |
| Despite its stern reputation, dictation became a popular exercise in 1985 when the French cultural journalist Bernard Pivot started his own television show in which he gave dictations. | Despite its stern reputation, dictation became a popular exercise in 1985 when the French cultural journalist Bernard Pivot started his own television show in which he gave dictations. |
| “There were no more grades,” Mr. Pivot recalled in an interview. “It was like a game and you still got to test your grammar and all the difficulties and traps of French language.” | “There were no more grades,” Mr. Pivot recalled in an interview. “It was like a game and you still got to test your grammar and all the difficulties and traps of French language.” |
| When Mr. Boudour and Mr. Santaki, neither of whom has a high school diploma, decided to take the exercise into the streets, they too thought of it as a way to both democratize the French language and entertain people. | When Mr. Boudour and Mr. Santaki, neither of whom has a high school diploma, decided to take the exercise into the streets, they too thought of it as a way to both democratize the French language and entertain people. |
| “In a way, we desacralized French literature by making it more accessible to everyone,” Mr. Santaki said. “It is a game but people are still writing and getting interested by the text itself, and therefore practicing their French.” | “In a way, we desacralized French literature by making it more accessible to everyone,” Mr. Santaki said. “It is a game but people are still writing and getting interested by the text itself, and therefore practicing their French.” |
| For others, there is still the social stigma of not speaking correct French, and they hope this exercise will improve it. | For others, there is still the social stigma of not speaking correct French, and they hope this exercise will improve it. |
| “Speaking good French is so important when you do a job interview or even for your daily life,” said Ismaël Medjahed, 20, a volunteer at the sessions. “I remember I used to be ashamed of myself when I was looking for a job because I was afraid of making mistakes in the spelling.” | “Speaking good French is so important when you do a job interview or even for your daily life,” said Ismaël Medjahed, 20, a volunteer at the sessions. “I remember I used to be ashamed of myself when I was looking for a job because I was afraid of making mistakes in the spelling.” |
| Like a number of those attending the dictations, Mr. Medjahed is of French and Algerian parentage and grew up speaking with the accent easily recognizable as that of the children of immigrants and with a vocabulary dappled with argot. | Like a number of those attending the dictations, Mr. Medjahed is of French and Algerian parentage and grew up speaking with the accent easily recognizable as that of the children of immigrants and with a vocabulary dappled with argot. |
| In teaching people “good French” the dictation sessions are a first step toward integration into French society. | In teaching people “good French” the dictation sessions are a first step toward integration into French society. |
| On a recent day in Fontenay-sous-Bois, east of Paris, volunteers distributed pens and paper and Mr. Santaki dictated the rules before he started to read. | On a recent day in Fontenay-sous-Bois, east of Paris, volunteers distributed pens and paper and Mr. Santaki dictated the rules before he started to read. |
| Some participants wrote the date and even the title “La Dictée des Cités” on their page, while others even underlined it — as they used to do in class. | Some participants wrote the date and even the title “La Dictée des Cités” on their page, while others even underlined it — as they used to do in class. |
| “I feel the same stress as when I was passing my exams,” said Aurore Tangre, 32, a nurse. “It is so silly, I chose to come today.” | “I feel the same stress as when I was passing my exams,” said Aurore Tangre, 32, a nurse. “It is so silly, I chose to come today.” |
| Not far from her, Françoise Garcia, 74, a retired special education teacher, with a deep accent from the South of France, laughed nervously. | Not far from her, Françoise Garcia, 74, a retired special education teacher, with a deep accent from the South of France, laughed nervously. |
| “I am from the old days and from a small village,” Ms. Garcia said. “It was a time when we used to do a dictation every morning and if you made too many mistakes, you got a kick up the backside from the schoolteacher.” | “I am from the old days and from a small village,” Ms. Garcia said. “It was a time when we used to do a dictation every morning and if you made too many mistakes, you got a kick up the backside from the schoolteacher.” |
| As Mr. Santaki started to dictate a text from the novelist Hector Malot, who lived and died in Fontenay-sous-Bois, he paced around the tables, as a teacher would. | As Mr. Santaki started to dictate a text from the novelist Hector Malot, who lived and died in Fontenay-sous-Bois, he paced around the tables, as a teacher would. |
| Every head was bent, hands carefully scribbling sentences, pausing to listen carefully as he repeated the text. After half an hour, the copies were collected and corrected. | Every head was bent, hands carefully scribbling sentences, pausing to listen carefully as he repeated the text. After half an hour, the copies were collected and corrected. |
| Those with the fewest mistakes got a T-shirt or sneakers. Others got a novel or a book on grammar. But for Mr. Santaki, the reward was the success of the event. | Those with the fewest mistakes got a T-shirt or sneakers. Others got a novel or a book on grammar. But for Mr. Santaki, the reward was the success of the event. |
| “In a way, we took back the French Republic, which people felt had abandoned them,” Mr. Santaki said. | “In a way, we took back the French Republic, which people felt had abandoned them,” Mr. Santaki said. |
| “That is the force of French language and that is a first step. I know the dictation may look like a bubble from the outside, and that it will not resolve every problem in the suburbs, but it is a start.” | “That is the force of French language and that is a first step. I know the dictation may look like a bubble from the outside, and that it will not resolve every problem in the suburbs, but it is a start.” |