Getting to Know France
Overview of the Country
Reading about France
Books & Encyclopedias
Browsing Areas and Subject Headings
Newspapers
Travel Guides
Travel Web Sites
Films
Geography and Maps
Language
If you're spending a few weeks or more in France, you'll definitely want to learn some French before you go. Fortunately, UNC-Chapel Hill has plenty of resources to help you with your studies.
Dictionaries
UNC-Chapel Hill's libraries have many
French dictionaries. Some are for use only inside the libraries, but others are available for borrowing. Try one of the dictionaries below, or search the
UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries Catalog for more options. If you would like to find a dictionary of specialized French, such as art terminology, try adding keywords to your search.
Collins Robert French Dictionary. 7th ed. Ed. Daphne Day, et al. Glasgow, Scotland: HarperCollins, 2005.
At over 2600 pages, this dictionary covers the modern French language thoroughly. Note that previous editions of this dictionary are available for checkout from Davis and the Undergrad Libraries.
Davis Reference Desk PC2640 .C69 2005
Larousse Concise Dictionary: French-English, English-French. 3rd ed. Ed. Marc Chabrier. Paris, France: Larousse, 2004.
Larousse produces good dictionaries that are a standard in many American French courses.
Davis Library PC2640 .L376 2004
The Macmillan Visual Dictionary. Multilingual edition. New York, NY: Macmillan,
1994.
This dictionary shows pictures of objects, and gives names for their parts in four languages, including French.
Undergrad Library Reference P361 .M28 1994
Online French Dictionary
The University of Chicago has created an
online French dictionary as part of its ARTFL Project. Although the design looks quite plain, the dictionary holds over 75,000 words.
Courses at UNC
UNC-Chapel Hill offers courses in French language, literature, and specialized language topics. Look through the
UNC-Chapel Hill Registrar's course listings to find out when French courses that interest you will be offered next.
French Living at UNC
UNC-Chapel Hill's
Romance Languages and Literatures department provides some fun ways to practice French. If you want an immersion experience while still living in North Carolina, you can apply to live in the
French House on the UNC campus.
Audio Materials
The Media Resource Center's
LinguaSearch can help you find language-learning materials in French. They currently have cassette tapes and CDs, with their accompanying books, in French. You can borrow these at the MRC, in the basement of the Undergrad Library. Various other departments on campus collect French audio-visual materials as well. The
Foreign Language Resource Center's web page will help you locate these.
Find a Friend!
Speaking or corresponding with a friend is a great way to practice a new language. You can find friends to exchange emails with at
Polyglot's language exchange program.
