Why Is Learning French Important?
Teachers are constantly seeking ways to reinforce the advantages of learning French. Our goal is to assist educators in that task. Choosing from among the many reasons to learning this beautiful language, here are our top picks:
- students will demonstrate sharpened cognitive and life skills, increase understanding of themselves and their own culture
- students will demonstrate increased global understanding,
- students will show an increase in native language ability,
- students also tend to demonstrate an increased appreciation of international literature, music, and film as a result of studying French
- improved employment potential.
This quote sums it up for many life long learners of French – “France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older—intelligence and good manners.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
The following resources provide additional reasons to learn French:
“I wanted to travel all over the world and French is the official language in 33 countries and the only official language on 5 of the world’s continents besides English.”
French Blog by Chandra
http://www.transparent.com/french
“French is the 3rd most frequently spoken non-English language in US homes (5) and the second most commonly taught foreign language in the United States (after Spanish)”.
Why learn French? (About.com)
http://french.about.com/od/whylearnfrench/
Largely as a result of the Norman (French) conquest of the Anglo-Saxons (English) in 1066, more than 25% of English words are of French origin.
Can you say "SAT preparation"? (BTW, "preparation" is one of those French words, as is just about every other word you know that ends in -tion.)
Reasons to Study French
spartans.sstx.org/~cwarlick/reasons.html
“One example of the importance of French can be seen in a recent listing of international jobs (8/25/08) distributed by the US State Department:
78 required or preferred French, 27 a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), 17 Spanish, 10 Arabic, 5 Russian, and 3 German, 1 Chinese.”
French The Most Practical Foreign Language
Richard Shryock
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
http://www.fll.vt.edu/french/whyfrench.html
“French fashion designers, artists, writers, musicians, chefs and filmmakers have had a wide influence in the United States and the rest of the world. Learning French makes discovering an
incomparable cultural universe. A French lesson is a journey into the world of fashion, gastronomy, the arts, literature and architecture.”
10 Reasons to Study French
Alliance Française de Washington DC
http://www.francedc.org/en/Article.aspx?id=11
“Montréal is the second largest French speaking city in the world.” “French is the official language of the International Red Cross.”
“France is one of the two official languages at the Olympic Games.”
There are more than 75 good reasons to study French
www.ecu.edu.au/ses/iccs/cware/french/motivation/whyfren.htm
“French is the language of many great literary masterpieces. People around the world are familiar with Les Misérables,
The Three Musketeers, 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Little Prince and The Stranger. In fact, France has won more Nobel prizes
for literature than any other country. The French are also admired for their great philosophers, such as Descartes, Pascal,
Rousseau, Voltaire, Camus and Sartre. When you read French, you can enjoy these works and authors in the original language.”
Reasons to Study French (written by the Education Office of the French Cultural Services).
sa.ncsu.edu/fl/french/fren00.htm
‘Help Wanted: Encourage Students to Learn French,’ French Is Not A ‘Foreign’ Language and other promotional materials available at
MATERIALS CENTER (AATF Commission for the Promotion of French)
http://frenchteachers.org/hq/materials/material.htm
The World Speaks French
The French Language Initiative
http://www.theworldspeaksfrench.org/
Monsieur-Biogrpahie 'Carole Fredericks'
Biographie de Carole FREDERICKS
France-Amérique
An excellent resource for current events in the French classroom.
www.france-amerique.com
Siggi Dimanche
A journey into the magnificence of French speaking African.
www.siggidimanche.com
