- Dictations of Bernard Pivot on the Facebook page of Ina to that of Edouard Baer on France 3 via the Giant Dictation of the novelist Rachid Santaki, online dictations have been a hit since the start of confinement.
- Even more, dictations have become an exercise in solidarity, which brings families together and fights against isolation.
- Rachid Santaki analyzes the phenomenon for 20 Minutes.
Sheet and pen in hand in front of the screen! Since the start of confinement, the French have revised their grammar and spelling rules like never before. More than 1.75 million lovers of the French language followed the dictation read by Edouard Baer in the show Tous Prêt pour la dictée this Wednesday afternoon on France 3. The reruns of the mythical dictations of Bernard Pivot on the The INA's Facebook page has attracted many Internet users, as has The Giant Dictation by the writer Rachid Santaki. Why is there such a craze for this dreaded exercise at school during confinement?
Following the announcement of the closure of schools, Orthodidacte drew La Dictée du confiné, a daily exercise read by Guillaume Terrien, French spelling champion, on March 25. On March 28, the Pour les Nuls collection met on Facebook rather than at the Paris Book Fair, as expected, for La dictée pour les Nuls.
On Monday March 30, Rachid Santaki gave his first Giant Dictation at your home and live at 10 a.m. on Facebook in front of fifty Internet users.
The author of La Petite Cité dans la prairie or Flic ou caillera is not a first-time user. "In 2013, I was invited as a novelist to Clichy-sous-Bois by the mayor Olivier Klein to read a dictation," he says.
"And containment stops everything"
Since then, Rachid Santaki has been touring France from cities to retirement homes, including prisons and businesses with his Giant Dictation. He even holds the world record for the largest dictation established at the Stade de France with 1,473 participants since 2018. "I was in a super dynamic with the La Dictée Géante label and confinement stops everything," he continues.
He thought for a time to take advantage of confinement to devote himself entirely to writing. “An elder leader asked me to send him five or ten dictation texts. And I had the idea of asking him to do a dictation live on Facebook, ”he explains.
Since then, the author has read texts taken from classics like The Little Prince of Saint-Exupéry or written by him every Monday at 10 a.m. on Facebook. And it is a hit: the 6th episode, published on May 4, already totals more than 41,500 views. After the dictation, the text is published on the Facebook page, as a correction. The dictation is available in replay.
While parents are looking for online educational resources, online dictations are a hit. Even the UEFA Foundation for Children invited some of the best players and coaches in Europe to do this as old as the world on 29 April.
"Dictation was back in fashion"
“Dictation was a real hit in the days of Bernard Pivot. We had this meeting which brought together hundreds of thousands of Francophones around the world. Bernard Pivot used to dictate with great difficulty and addressed spelling cracks, ”recalls the author.
If dictation moved away from the spotlight in 2005 with the cessation of the Golden Dicos, spelling enthusiasts found themselves around competitions organized each year in France by town halls, associations, Rotary Clubs or even houses of retirement. "This wave during confinement is due to the fact that dictation had returned to fashion in recent years," observes the novelist.
During confinement, the regulars were joined by beginners. The 5th edition of the Great dictation of Brec'h (Morbihan) took place, confinement requires, online. While the 2019 dictation had attracted some 120 people, the online version totaled 2,720 views.
"Dictation makes it possible to speak about people who mobilize"
Dictation has also become united. Young people from La Londe (Seine-Maritime) launched, for example, a dictation on Facebook and a Leetchi kitty for the hospital staff of the CHI d'Elbeuf.
For his part, Rachid Santaki writes custom dictations on the theme of child protection in partnership with International Children Care Film Festival and the NGO Innocence en Danger, the network against food insecurity VRAC or L'Ecran Pop . “Dictation makes it possible to speak of people who mobilize, of solidarity. Dictation tells of our society, ”he comments.
"The dictation tool is stylish"
No more dictations that rhyme with "sanctions, bad marks, the teacher who types on the fingers and the word" fault "", in the digital age, the dictation was "dusted". The exercise has become fun, and sometimes even naughty. "The dictation tool is stylish," insists the expert. "People love being challenged," he says.
While the somewhat rapid reading of the dictation by Edouard Baer on France 3 has aroused strong criticism on social networks, Rachid Santaki recalls good practices in this area: “What works is to be kind and human vis-à-vis people, it's hyperimportant. It is also necessary to read slowly so as not to leave anyone on the floor. "
"Dictation has a reassuring side"
Informative activity and convivial collective exercise, the dictation was invited in very many homes during the confinement. “Dictation makes it possible to bring people together, to overcome the isolation of certain people. Some families even have battles of dictation from a distance, ”notes the novelist.
In this period of uncertainty linked to the coronavirus, the rules of spelling and grammar have a reassuring side. “The dictation recalls primary school, the time of recklessness. Dictation has a reassuring and nostalgic side ”, analyzes Rachid Santaki.
Dictation makes it possible to federate beyond generations, social categories, etc. "Dictation is a way of gathering around the French language," salutes the author. And to rejoice: “It's quite incredible to see how we can create a whole universe around a dictation. "
Society
Why are the French fans of the dictation championships?
You interviewed Rachid Santaki, author of "Flic ou caillera"- Covid 19
- Culture
- Spelling
- Confinement
- Coronavirus
- French language