Why would you learn French? Is it of any use in a world where giant new players such as China, India and the African continent are sitting at the table?
Official Language of Key Organizations
The first good reason to learn French is the fact that many international organizations use French as one of their official languages. For example, Wikipedia lists 86 such institutions. And, to name a few:
- The United Nations and its agencies
- The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders
- The FIDC (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or International Chess Federation)
- Several sport federations
- The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the WTO (World Trade Organization).
If you intend to deal with any of these organizations, learn French.
5th Place Worldwide in Terms of Number of Speakers
As of September 2019, French holds the 5th place worldwide in terms of number of speakers using the language: 280 million. Per ethnologue.com, it has more non-native speakers (203 million) than native speakers (77 million).
Where Do You Find Francophones?
Frankly, a little bit all over the world but Asia.
And, believe it or not, there are about 2 million people in the USA alone, who speak French at home. This is according to the 2010 Census and the American community survey. By the way, don’t miss the next upcoming census, so we all know where we stand! Go here: https://2020census.gov/en
Let’s get back to topic. Where else do we have French speaking population?
France of course, as well as Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Monaco.
In addition, Europe counts roughly 20% non-francophone Europeans who can speak French.
On the other side of the Atlantic, French Guiana marks the South and Quebec the North American continent. As a note, Quebec is the second largest economy in Canada after Ontario.
However, nothing beats the African continent. There, nine countries are using French as their only official language: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. They total 180 million speakers.
As a point, these countries have among the highest fertility rate in the world. Thus, they will account for the increase in French speakers worldwide in the next 30 years.
There are other countries in Africa where French is used but to a lesser degree: See them all here.
If you intend to play a role in Africa economic development, learning French will definitely be an asset.
Learning French, Romance and Music to Your Ears
For the last 500 years of the Middle Ages, the English court was speaking French. This aspect is a boon for English speakers to learn French. Being already familiar with many borrowed words, learning is really easy. A lot easier than learning a different alphabet!
Next, French is melodic. Hearing it brings a smile on your face and makes you feel on cloud nine. What’s the secret? We harmonize the sound in between words, and if we need to, we simply take a letter out or add one in.
At the same time, the French language is an analytic language. This means that you can very easily sum up a text by separating its key elements. It requires that you think logically, which develops your critical skills and is useful in discussions and negotiations.
Heritage to Share
And last, but not necessarily the least important, France has a wealth of culture to offer. Isn’t it better to read Classics such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola in their original text than in a translated version?
What about its cinema? It brought us Beauty and the Beast from Jean Cocteau, Le Salaire de la peur from Henri-Georges Clouzot, The 400 Blows from François Truffaut, Welcome to the Sticks from Dany Boon and so many more great movies.
Its cities and countryside offer not only a gorgeous historical voyage but also a pleasant sense of joy of living. Joviality, wine and good food sum it up.
Fact is, France is the most visited country in the world. What are you waiting for? Plan your next visit now.
First, learn French!
French is easy to learn, it will open the doors to learning Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian.
Contact me here. I’ll teach you the basics and… voila! You can fly to Paris or the French Riviera for your next vacation or visit the Loire castles!
Sources:
https://www.ethnologue.com/guides/ethnologue200
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/french-speaking-countries/