La Langue de Puck: Learning Language Through Sports

An expert from Langue de Puck.

I’m not a native Francophone, nor am I fluent, but I do enjoy learning. Combining hobbies, I began watching hockey in French several years ago. Two things happened fairly quickly. First, I began to prefer hearing the game called in French. I’m still not sure why but, to me, the flow of the game just sounds better in French. Second, I realized how easy it was to pick up certain words. Yes, watching hockey is a fun and easy tool that helps me learn my heritage language. 

Those growing up in a unilingual society know that learning a second language as an adult is difficult. Our brains have become hard-wired in grammar and sentence structure, as well as a set of sounds made by letters and combinations of them. There’s also the pitfall of trying to translate, versus recognizing, the words coming at us. Practice and immersion are the best ways to go, but finding those opportunities in a unilingual society can be an obstacle. One option is the seemingly limitless list of sports streaming channels; in this case- hockey channels. Does this really help, or is it just an excuse to zone out on a game? From personal experience- it’s a big help. 

First- in a sporting event, the vocabulary tends to be limited and repetitive. Compared to a  television show or movie which could cover any number of topics, a game tends to limit itself to things like direction, movements, objects and places. The difficulty can be the speed at which the game is called, but the limited, repetitive vocabulary can compensate for that. 

Next is the visual factor. While listening to a radio or podcast we have to guess what’s being discussed. Watching a sporting event, we see an action or an object we know, and hear it called something else. This visual makes a connection to the word and removes the need for the brain to translate.

Adding the two concepts together, when seeing players circle “behind the net,” it only takes a few instances of hearing “derriere la filet” to make the connection. We see a player hobbling off the ice clutching his knee, followed by the slow motion replays of the knee to knee collision, but we hear “genou” every time the “knee” is focused on. We hear the announcer excitedly proclaim “TIR” every time the player takes a “shot” on goal…just like that, we’re getting somewhere.

Of course, not every aspect of the game is that easy to learn. Chances are, anyone learning a language is doing it  in a classroom,  learning a very formal version of the language. By “formal,” we’re not talking about whether any particular version of a language is “proper” or “real,”  we're talking about grammar and structure. What we learn in the classroom is helpful when watching a newscast where the speed and volume are steady, and there’s a heavy focus on that same grammatical correctness. Sports tend to be the opposite, and hockey is no exception. Rapid fluctuations in speed and tone, abbreviations, fragmented sentences and “the lingo” all present differences to what we’ve learned in the classroom.

The lingo can come in two forms: words we know that have different meanings in the sports context, and words and phrases that are specific to the sport. Each of these presents a unique challenge but has its own reward.

Learning to use a familiar word in a new context expands what we learn in a classroom. It’s impossible to watch a game and not constantly hear “bande.” Look as with might, we never seem to see “tape” anywhere on the playing surface. In this context “bande” is the word used for the boards surrounding the ice. No, the boards are not called planche or bois, but “bande.”  When hearing about a player who is really good at “mise au joue,” it can be maddening pondering the questions “make which play or which cheek???” Neither- the player wins a lot of “faceoffs.” Again, when we make those connections, the use of our everyday vocabulary from the classroom gets expanded.

When it comes to learning the game’s unique vocabulary, that’s a different challenge (and reward). Imagine a fluent English speaker who’s new to the game and hearing things like “toe drag,” “five hole,” or “boarding” for the first time.  Now imagine that same experience in a language that’s not familiar to the person. Combined with the speed mentioned above, this creates audible chaos at first. However, without any previous vocabulary to translate or re-learn, the curve is incredibly quick. In this case, we’re adding a whole new set of terms and words to the classroom vocabulary we’ve learned.

The question on lingo becomes “how.” Fortunately, there are ways around this, whether through discussion, targeted on-line searches, or even a good old fashioned book. Whatever the method, the satisfaction is the same, the results are there, and the fun starts. Watching a game really is a learning opportunity. 

When the NHL offered streaming on its own network, the coverage in French was great. When the league transitioned to a deal with the big sports network, the French options disappeared. Fortunately, there were and are plenty of steaming options with junior, senior, semi-pro and minor leagues in Quebec. Combined with the uniqueness of the towns and arenas where they take place, I’ve come to enjoy those options more. It’s been a few years, and with the help of friends and a gold mine of a book, my French has gotten better each season. Like my weekly lesson, it’s a challenge and a lot of work, but I enjoy it.  I enjoy learning the language as much as I do watching the game. Oh, and I get to write about it on my blog as a result. 

Our French Lessons aren't limited to the classroom. Benoit Melancon's Langue de Puck has filled in a lot of gaps for me over the last two seasons.