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| Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash |
Good morning, everyone! Today’s post is about the French language. I’ve written a few posts on the topic already. They’ve been about language learning in general. Today, I decided to focus on French. It’s the first language I learned after English and Spanish (both of which I’ve known from childhood). Four years on, I believe I can converse in French without much difficulty. I’m not sure, as I haven’t met any French speaker yet. At least I can understand French movies without needing subtitles.
My knowledge of French isn’t limited to the language itself. I like the culture as well, and its history. I find the latter fascinating. France is also a beautiful and popular country. It’s my favorite European country, in fact. There’s a lot to like. Below, I’ll give some excellent reasons why you should pick French as your next language:
Most first-time language learners worry about how hard it is to learn a certain foreign language. For English speakers, some languages will be easier than others. In my opinion, French is one of the least difficult ones. The pronunciation is not much harder to learn than English. French also has many words anglophones are familiar with. And unlike some languages—such as the Slavic family—French doesn’t have cases. It does have genders, though, which monolingual anglophones might be unfamiliar with. Genders are easy to master, though. Don’t worry too much about them; you’ll learn the correct genders for nouns as you progress in French.
FRENCH IS ONE OF THE MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD
As of 2020, French is the fifth most spoken language in the world. The total number of speakers amounts to about 280 million people. And if it wasn’t enough, French is the only language (other than English) that’s spoken on every continent. That shows how many doors it can open if you learn it. French is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. When it comes to the Internet, French is the most widely used language after English and German. The popularity of French means there’s a huge amount of resources for prospective learners. Most are so accessible that the only hard part about learning French is making the time.
THE NUMBER OF FRENCH SPEAKERS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY
Not only does French have a vast number of speakers today. It’s anticipated that within a couple of decades that number will sharply increase. A study suggests that there could be 750 million total French speakers in 2050. That could bring it ahead of even Mandarin and Spanish. If those estimates become true, French will be an even more important language. Becoming fluent in French will definitely come in useful. If your motivation to learn a new language is to “future-proof” yourself, you can’t go wrong with French.
FRENCH IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGES
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder—or in this case, the ear of the listener. In lists of the world’s most beautiful-sounding languages, French is almost always included. It’s not hard to see why. French has a distinctive, almost song-like pronunciation. To my ears it sounds in-between the bland speech of Spanish and the drawly vocals of English. French is smooth and makes you sound cool. It also sounds especially attractive when a woman speaks it. For instance, I’ve heard singer Joyce Jonathan speak both English and French. I think she sounds prettier in French. One of my favorite syllables is oi, as in fois, pronounced 'fwah'. I don’t know why; I just like it.
LEARNING FRENCH GIVES YOU ACCESS TO FANTASTIC NEW MEDIA
If you enjoy music, movies, or books, you have a great incentive to learn French. It has a large repertoire of media for everyone’s tastes. This is one of the biggest reasons I learned French. They have amazing music. Among the first French musicians I discovered are Louane, Joyce Jonathan, and Alizee. Their songs are fabulous and don’t get old. For those who like books, France has produced great writers like Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, and Victor Hugo. And you can’t forget about French films. French cinema is my second favorite after American cinema. They’ve put out gems like Priceless, Love Me If You Dare, The French Connection, and of course Amélie. I really like being able to experience this media in its native language, especially music. That one leaves no choice. It’s not like they can put subtitles on songs like they do for movies. It wouldn't be the same.
FRENCH WILL HELP YOU APPRECIATE THEIR FOOD MORE
I’m not a foodie, but for those who are, learning French is a great way to appreciate their cuisine. The French are fond of their food. Among their best dishes (at least for my taste) are hachis parmentier, croque monsieur, tartiflette, crêpes, and éclairs. Yeah, if it’s not obvious I’m a somewhat picky eater. Talking about food isn’t my thing, but this post couldn’t be complete without mentioning cuisine. French food is almost as well-known as Italian, to my perception. And the French love cheese as well. They have hundreds of varieties of it. I like cheese, as long as it’s not an outrageous kind like the moldy sort.
FRANCE HAS A RICH AND FASCINATING HISTORY
When it comes to time, I prefer the future. I’m eager to see what kind of tech we’ll have then. That’s not to say I dislike the past. French history is one I find particularly riveting. The main reason is that it used to be a monarchy country. The French had one of the most famous and awesome monarchies in Europe. I’m most familiar with Charlemagne and King Louis XIV. The latter may have been the paragon of narcissism, but his success is undeniable. King Louis XIV was the longest-reigning European king and made France the most powerful country of his time. Another intriguing fact about France is that it’s among the oldest nations that still exist today. It’s been around since as far back as 600 B.C.!
FRENCH WILL GIVE YOU AN EASIER TIME WHEN TRAVELING
English may suffice for you almost anywhere you go, but French will fill in the gaps. Knowing the only two languages spoken on every continent means you’ll be able to communicate with lots of people. France isn’t the only country where French comes in handy. It’s the official language of 29 countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Madagascar, and Luxembourg. French is also widely spoken in Canada (mainly Quebec), the state of Louisiana, and several French territories around the world. You definitely have lots of travel options if you master French.
SPEAKING FRENCH IMPROVES YOUR CAREER AND EDUCATION PROSPECTS
In the U.S. French is one of the most useful languages to learn career-wise. Not only is it spoken in Louisiana, but many companies do business with France and other French-speaking countries. Adding French fluency to your resume will make you look educated and shows initiative. Knowing French is also a big advantage for students. It’s not just an excellent foreign language to learn at U.S. colleges. French mastery is also needed to attend foreign schools like the PSL Research University, Montpellier University, the Sorbonne, and the École Polytechnique. These are among the highest-ranking colleges in Europe.
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Those are, in my opinion, ten of the best reasons to learn French. They should help you decide whether it's worth it to make the effort. In my case I didn't need much motivation. French music greatly compelled me to learn the language. Did I mention Joyce Jonathan already? Her voice is the most beautiful I've ever heard. I'd recommend her to anyone who'll listen. Anyway, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this blog post. À bientôt !
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