GUEST LECTURE Mr. Sylvain Lamourette

Topic : French culture and language Speaker: Mr. Sylvain Lamourette-September 08

Mr. Sylvain Lamourette holds a Masters degrees in three disciplines history, sociology, ethnology and linguistics with major in French as a foreign language. France, the land of romance as we know is famous for its wines, chocolates, the enchanting fashion city Paris so on and so forth… But being students of French it was not only imperative but also our area of interest to know more about French culture and language.

Libert, galit ,fraternit as the French put it meaning liberty, an equality and fraternity has become the motto of the French spirit over the years. The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by its geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France has played an important role as a centre of high culture and of decorative arts since a seventeenth century. It has also played an important role in modern art, cinema and fashion and last but not the least it has given the world its second most widely officially accepted language.

No one can better give an insight to the varying hues of culture and society of a country than its natives and Mr. Lamourette helped us look at France as more than just a geographical entity. He found the students very enthusiastic and participative.

By the time we were over with the lecture, a whole new perspective of France had come up!!