Commitment

Engagement

binding, trust
bound, honor
hard work, time
hard work,determination
love, maturity, sacrifice
love, responsibility
marriage, cage
marriage, family, sex
my girlfriend, my school, my friends, my parents
passion, responsibility, reliability
relationship, fear, time
relationship, important, constricting
relationship, stick it out
reliable, trust, obligation
respect, trust
responsability, time
responsibility, duty
responsible, believe
strong, important

ambition,courage
bénévolat,patriotisme
compromis,
fidélité, responsabilités
humanitaire, bénévole, honneur, secours, religion, mariage,
investissement, geste, courage
loyauté, respecter
mariage maison
mariage, amitié, famille, religion
mariage, célebration, promesse
politique, national, sauvegarde de la culture, religion,
politique, religion, honnêteté, implication, intérêt, altruisme
respect, contrat, parole, vie
responsabilité, volonté
signature, parole, droiture, pacte,

Discussion

Relationship vs. Marriage

In studying this word, I noticed that many of the American people (4) thought of the word "relationship" while 2 others thought of "marriage." However, on the French side, I noticed that several people said "mariage," but words like "relationship," "dating," "boyfriend/girlfriend" didn't come up. Is this because the French do not have as heavy an emphasis on commitment in a non-marital relationship? Or is it just that commitment is very emphasized in marriage?

Religion

I thought it was interesting that 4 people on the French side thought to put religion, and none on the American side. Here, I'm not sure one would think of religion as a commitment - something you have to do, or have sworn to do/follow - but more as something you have chosen and is therefore optional, at least at some level. I suppose one can be committed to their faith, but that's a different connotation. Is that the connotation under which some of the French students have used the word religion?

Réponse à Alicia

Effectivement, ton analyse est judicieuse. Comme tu le dis toi-même dans ta deuxième question, la notion d'engagement est très importante dans le mariage et certainement plus forte que dans des relations non-maritales. Peut-être parce qu'il revêt un double engagement : civil (mariage à la mairie) et face à Dieu (mariage à l'Eglise consacré par un représentant du Seigneur). En France, on peut s'engager "légalement" par d'autres moyens envers l'être aimé : certificat de concubinage, PACS. Mais, si ces deux moyens sont "fiables" d'un point de vue juridique, ils sont beaucoup moins porteurs de symbole. Personnellement, j'aurais aussi pensé engagement envers mon petit ami au sens où, finalement, le respect de la parole donnée est tout aussi important qu'une signature au bas d'un document officiel ! Mais c'est vraiment le fait de reconnaitre cette union au grand jour qui donne toute son importance au mariage. Donc finalement tes deux hypothèses se révèlent justes.

engage