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    Who are we?

The Société was founded in April 2007 by the late Pauline Nelson, Ph.D., Professor of Foreign Languages Emeritus at Bethany College (WV). She had a deep affinity for all things French and sought to share that interest with others in the Cape Cod region.

We are a group of French-speaking people of all ages who meet monthly from September to June at area restaurants for coffee, lunch or dinner. The time of day varies according to the season so that we can minimize night driving for members who may find that uncomfortable. The only rule is “Ici, on parle français.” Our main goal is to bring people together who share a love of the French culture and language, and to provide opportunities for members to hear and speak French in a social setting. This means that the ability to speak basic conversational French is important! There are no formal programs, although we sometimes have a theme related to a French holiday or tradition, such as Bastille Day or the Diner en Blanc.

We ask members to RSVP to meeting invitations no later than two days before an event so that we can make appropriate restaurant reservations. We try to find restaurants that will issue individual checks, but that’s not always possible. In that case, we encourage members to pay in cash rather than by credit card.
     

A team of 5 members works on maintaining the website, arranging the meeting places and sending announcements with details about upcoming events. We have no officers, but work as equal partners in an effort to keep the language alive on Cape Cod. Members pay annual dues of $25 to be on the email distribution list. That helps to meet the club’s expenses for maintaining our website and domain name. On occasion we have also purchased special French treats for certain events. Our priority is to have interesting conversations – en français, bien sur – and to do our best to make the experience fun!  

We are a congenial group and and we welcome new members. If you are wondering whether you would be at ease in our group with your level of French, please email us at societefrancophonecc@gmail.com to inquire. We will do our best to seat advanced beginners together with a couple of more proficient members. Our goal is to maximize everyone’s Francophone experience.Hoping to see you soon!