Vivre Sans Frontières
Why French?
- French is one of the major global languages.
- French is spoken by over 250 million people on five continents in over forty countries.
- Speaking French will open up the world to you for education, career, and leisure opportunities.
- The International Organization of Francophonie has 56 member states and governments. Of these, 28 countries have French as an official language.
- French is ranked among the most influential languages in the world.
- French is the language of culture, art, music, fashion, cuisine, and cinema. Understanding French will increase your appreciation of these aspects of culture, both past and present.
- French can increase your appreciation of cultures all over the world. Speaking French will enable you to communicate with a variety of people all over the world and, consequently, to reach a greater understanding of world cultures.
- It is the second most commonly taught second language beside English and is estimated to be the derivative of more than one-third of all English words. It is estimated that a native English speaker already knows 15,000 French words.
- Although more people speak Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish, French is spoken in more countries and over a greater geographical area than any other language in the world, making French second only to English as a global language.
- French is the only language (with English) that is taught in every country in the world.
- French is a primary language in diplomacy and international organizations. For example, French is an official language of the following:
– The United Nations
– UNESCO
– NATO
– Amnesty International
– The European Union and The European Court of Justice.
- French is a key language in today’s global economy.
- France, the fourth largest economy in the world, is at the center of the European market.
- French is the third most common language on the internet.
