Insiders' French: Beyond the Dictionary (Hardback)

A guide to the language of the "new France". This "new France" is a country poised to experience the European single currency but uncertain about being part of Europe. It is hooked on fast food but ambivalent about the country where it originated. France at the end of the 20th century has record unemployment and an increasingly controversial immigrant population. Clearly, given the rapidly changing conditions and lifestyles, conventional French dictionaries alone cannot completely inform readers and visitors. This text offers a solution to the incomprehension, a handbook in which the reader will find the language of the European Union, the space programme, abortion and women's rights, high-tech industries, and health care, among other topics. Entries proceed by association of ideas and related terms, with cross-referencing, while still being alphabetized for easy reference like a standard dictionary. Cartoons from major French journals are included.