How to Handle 'Allons Y'

Some people study a second language in the hope of wielding it as well as their mother tongues. Others cast a wider net, developing, in parallel, a reading knowledge of several related vernaculars.

If chasing a major language, those who seek full fluency will quickly find that the internet offers an enormous array of tools designed for the learner who, having acquired a solid foundation of grammar and vocabulary, has begun to walk the long road to pukka bilingualism. Thus, for example, a splendid video called Comme une Française offers instruction in the finer points (one might even say nuances) of the present-day patois of French folk. (YouTube) In particular, the formidable Géraldine, who presents each episode of the program, often warns viewers about expressions that become ironic, have turned into clichés, or have fallen out of general use.