hivernal et estival...

In today's class we learnt two interesting words.
hivernal (from hiver = winter) and
estival (from été = summer)

Suddenly, the connection occured to me (and trust me, I was SO excited!).

You've heard of hibernation. A few years ago, I was most delighted when I came across the word estivation. Estivation is a state of dormancy similar to hibernation. Animals that estivate spend a summer inactive and insulated against heat, to prevent the harmful effects of the season.

Eureka!!!
hivernal and hibernation, estival and estivation.

France and Parlance...

When you're learning French, you make some very interesting observations. I was discussing some of these with Vinay, and I thought it would be nice for us to share these observations online. And so, the idea of "francesay" was born. But wait, we're not pundits or anything ;) - we're just students of this beautiful language. This is a place where we shall share our appreciation of its wonderful nuances.