The Melbourne Salon - Exploring French and Australian First Names

Bonjour, Kevin mate!  Exploring French and Australian First Names  

At the beginning of life, everyone receives a first name, usually chosen by parents, relatives, or family tradition. Although given at birth, a first name can be adapted or reinvented as part of a person’s identity.

In Australia, first names reflect the country’s diverse cultural history, with influences from British, Irish, migrant, and Indigenous communities.

Kerry Mullan, Professor of French and Convenor of Language Studies at RMIT University, and Chantal Claudel, Professor at Université Paris Nanterre, will discuss in this bilingual Melbourne Salon some of the meanings, uses and emotional connections to French and Australian names and cultural values.

Chantal Claudel is Professor at Université Paris Nanterre. She first taught French in Japan, Cambodia and France. She was subsequently appointed Associate Professor in language didactics at Université Paris 8-Vincennes Saint-Denis. At Université Paris Nanterre, she is responsible for the Master’s program in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) and the University Diploma in FLE Didactics. Her research focuses on contrastive discourse analysis, interaction, and pragmatics, which inform her work in language teaching methodology.
 
Kerry Mullan is Professor of French and Convenor of Language Studies at RMIT University, where she teaches French and applied linguistics. Her main research interests are cross-cultural communication, intercultural pragmatics, language teaching, linguistic and semiotic landscapes, and humour in French and Australian social interactions. Kerry is also President of ISFAR (Institute for the Study of French Australian Relations) and Convenor of the Melbourne Salon since its inception in 2010.