Reasons why should you learn French? How is going to help you?
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French as a Global Language
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A language for the job market
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The language of culture
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A language for travel
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A language for higher education
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The other language of international relations
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A easy and fun language to learn
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A base language for learning other languages
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The language of love and reason
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How French has influenced English since its genesis and evolution
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Vocabulary
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Grammar and Pronunciation
French as a Global Language:
French follows in ranks after English and Germany as the most spoken language in Europe. More than 200 million people speak French on the five continents. French is the official language in many countries like Canada, Belgium, Seychelles, Switzerland, Central Republic of Africa, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Senegal etc. French is still used in many francophone countries like Algeria, Cambodia, Tunisia, Vietnam etc. as the second language. French is also the only language as compared to English which is taught in each country in the worldwide. France operates the biggest international network of Language and Culture institutes, which run French-language courses for more than 750,000 learners.
Carte de France et les specialites regionales
A language for the job market
An ability to communicate in multiple foreign languages is an advantage in the international job market. A command of French opens the doors of many French based companies operating in France and other Francophone countries like Canada, European countries bordering France and North and Central Africa. Jobs like translators, interpreters, Teaching, Editing and proofreading of French articles/documents, Guides/hotel/hospitality management, International organisations like UN, NATO, and UNESCO as ambassadors. France is a key economic partner as the world’s fifth biggest economy and number-three destination for foreign investment.
The language of culture
France is the world capital for fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture. French gastronomy is very varied and has a place of its own in World cuisine. Knowledge of French offers access to great works of original master pieces of literature, as well as films and songs. French is the language of famous fashion designers like Victor Hugo, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Molière, Edith Piaf and Zinedine Zidane.
A language for travel
As the world’s top ranked tourist destination France attracts more than 70 million visitors a year. Conversation in French with the inhabitants makes it so much more enjoyable to visit not only Paris and all the regions of France but also comes in handy when travelling to other Francophone countries.
. Most of the books referred to learn French offer insights into French culture, mentality and the way of life.
A language for higher education
Many renowned French universities and business schools, ranked among the top higher education institutions in Europe and the world give preference to students who can speak French fluently. Such students become eligible for French government scholarships. They can easily enrol in postgraduate courses and other internationally recognised French degrees in any discipline in France.
The other language of international relations
International governing bodies such as United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, and NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and International courts consider French as both a working language and an official language. French is the language of the three cities Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg (Headquarters of EU institutions).
A easy and fun language to learn
The new methodology for learning adopted by Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFRL) which make it learning French enjoyable for both children and adults alike. A beginner of French language can reach intermediate/advanced levels, within a period of 12-18 months.
A base language for learning other languages
Many languages like Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian as well as English (nearly fifty per cent of current English vocabulary is derived from French) can be easily learnt with French as the base language.
Des fromages
The language of love and reason
It is a pleasure to learn such a beautiful, rich and melodious language, often called the language of love. French is also an analytical language that develops critical thinking, which is a key skill essential for discussions and negotiations.
French is popularly known as Language of Romance, though that’s not why it’s called the “Language of Love”. In linguistically the word Romance/romantic have nothing to do with love; the Latin origin of this language is the reason for calling it as such. Indian and European Languages like Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Russian and Persian belong to the same language family class as French.
How French has influenced English since its genesis and evolution
For nearly 400 years the French and English languages have evolved influenced each other. During the various revolutions taking place in Britain, the most influential from language point of view was the conquest of William the Conqueror in 1066. This conquest promoted French to the language of ruling dynasty and English became the language of every day layman use.
Many people don’t realize is that close to 10,000 words were adopted into English from French language and three-fourth of this is what we still use in English directly or indirectly. A normal English speaker already knows in average 13,000-15,000 French words without his own knowledge. Many words used in Government documents, law book, arts, cuisine, literature have French origin. Such is the extent to which French has influenced English language.
Vocabulary
Some example of words derived from French that are used in English
- Adieu – until God, final farewell
- À la carte – on the menu
- Allée – alley
- Apéritif – cocktail, drinks
- Bon appétit – good appetite
- Bon voyage – have a good trip
- Merci – thank you
- Blonde, brunette –
- Chic – stylish
- Repose – to rest
- Crème brûlée – burnt cream
- Cuisine – cooking, kitchen
- Déjà vu – already seen
- Eau de toilette/ eau de Cologne/parfum – for different types of perfumes/colognes
- Femme fatale – deadly women
- Haute couture – high sewing, designer clothes
- Rendez-vous – meeting
- Sauté – shallow frying of food
- Résumé – a written summary of your education, work experience, and achievements
Grammar and Pronunciation
The French influence in English grammar can be seen is in the word order of certain expressions. In French most of the adjectives are placed after the noun. This rule (noun + adjective) is used in English grammar as well rather than the usual (adjective + noun) order. For example: secretary general and surgeon general.
Some diphthongs like (ɔy) as in coy, boy used in English originated from French language