Can bad French be epicured?

“An innovative kitchen that gives step-by-step cooking instructions in French could spark a revolution in language learning in the UK” claims a press release: one of those where “could” means “probably won’t”.

Scientists at Newcastle University have created an application in which cooking instructions are delivered in French, and motion sensors track whether you have done what it told you to do. The idea is that with context and an incentive you learn quicker.

Of course, this is not the first time that this type of learning has been tried on the UK’s hopeless linguists. For years Parisian taxi drivers have been offering an informal initiative, that has brought satisfaction to a generation of tourists, in which they delightfully refuse to move until their passengers pronounce their destination perfectly.