English US » French | 58 [fifty-eight] | Parts of the body

58 [cinquante-huit] Les parties du corps

I am drawing a man.	Je dessine un homme.
First the head.	D’abord, la tête.
The man is wearing a hat.	L’homme porte un chapeau.
One cannot see the hair.	On ne voit pas les cheveux.
One cannot see the ears either.	On ne voit pas non plus les oreilles.
One cannot see his back either.	On ne voit pas non plus le dos.
I am drawing the eyes and the mouth.	Je dessine les yeux et la bouche.
The man is dancing and laughing.	L’homme danse et rit.
The man has a long nose.	L’homme a un long nez.
He is carrying a cane in his hands.	Il porte une canne dans ses mains.
He is also wearing a scarf around his neck.	Il porte également une écharpe autour du cou.
It is winter and it is cold.	C’est l’hiver et il fait froid.
The arms are athletic.	Les bras sont musclés.
The legs are also athletic.	Les jambes sont également musclées.
The man is made of snow.	C’est un homme fait de neige.
He is neither wearing pants nor a coat.	Il ne porte ni pantalon, ni manteau.
But the man is not freezing.	Mais cet homme n’a pas froid.
He is a snowman.	C’est un bonhomme de neige.

Does a universal grammar exist?

When we learn a language, we also learn its grammar. When children learn their native language, this happens automatically. They don't notice that their brain is learning various rules. Despite this, they learn their native language correctly from the beginning. Given that many languages exist, many grammar systems exist too. But is there also a universal grammar? Scientists have been studying this for a long time. New studies could provide an answer. Because brain researchers have made an interesting discovery. They had test subjects study grammar rules. These subjects were language school students. They studied Japanese or Italian. Half of the grammar rules were totally fabricated. However, the test subjects didn't know that. The students were presented with sentences after studying. They had to assess whether or not the sentences were correct. While they were working through the sentences, their brains were analyzed. That is to say, the researchers measured the activity of the brain. This way they could examine how the brain reacted to the sentences. And it appears that our brain recognizes grammar! When processing speech, certain brain areas are active. The Broca Center is one of them. It is located in the left cerebrum. When the students were faced with real grammar rules, it was very active. With the fabricated rules on the other hand, the activity decreased considerably. So it could be that all grammar systems have the same basis. Then they would all follow the same principles. And these principles would be inherent in us…