Education logo

Why You Should Learn French

The Original Lingua Franca

By Kenny CPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
Like
Parlez-vous français?

At some point in our lives, we have had to learn a foreign language. Whether it was a requirement for school, work, or just out of our own interest. Choosing which foreign language to learn can be tough because there are many languages that are spoken in this world. However, anyone who is deciding to learn a foreign language you should learn French.

French is a widely spoken language.

French is spoken by over 274 million people worldwide. These people are spread across five continents and live in 51 countries worldwide. However, only 29 countries claim French as an official language in that country. The continents that French is found on are North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. French is the fifth most spoken language in the world and the fourth most spoken language in Europe. French is also the second most learned foreign language in the world.

French is an international language.

According to "France Diplomatie", French is the third most used language for business and the second most used language for international news in the media. French is the second most leading language used in international organizations. The French language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and one of the working languages within the European Union. French is also growing and gaining more speakers. The population growth in Francophone, Africa is helping French grow. They predict that by 2050 there could 750 million French speakers in the world, ahead of English and maybe even Mandarin.

French isn't as hard as people make it out to be.

Aside from those aspects of French, it is also one of the easier languages for native English speakers to learn. The French language has influenced English vocabulary extensively. It is estimated that about one-third of all English words have French origins. About 1,7000 words in French are true cognates to words in English. Meaning the word in French has the same meaning in English. An example of this is with the word "international", it is exactly the same in French and English. The only difference between the two of these words is the pronunciation. If you have never studied French, you already know about 15,000 French words.

French can help you learn other languages.

Since French is a Romance language, it can help you learn another Romance language like Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian.

French is the language of culture.

Being fluent in French, you will be able to enjoy many of the cinematic masterpieces that have come out of the francophone world. You can enjoy the movie Amelie or The Umbrellas of Cherbourg without English subtitles distracting you while watching the film. Knowing French, you will be able to enjoy these films in the language they were meant to be watched and understood in. Also, you will be able to enjoy the music of many great singers like Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, and Serge Gainsbourg.

Learning a foreign language can be a daunting task and many people feel that it is a challenge to learn one. However, by choosing to learn French, you can alleviate those fears about learning a foreign language. Since French is relatively easy for English speakers, you can easily gain access to new countries, many global organizations, and a new culture.

References

  • Diplomatie
  • Forbes
  • Language Magazine
  • ThoughtCo
courses
Like

About the Creator

Kenny C

I am 19 years old and I am majoring in secondary education to become a history teacher. I like history and foreign languages/cultures.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.