Why learn French

• It is not limited to one or two continents.
• French is spoken in TWO of the G8 countries.
• French is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
• Paris hosts over 1,000 congresses annually – and a world record of international congresses
• France has the world’s greatest number of of Nobel Prize winners in literature. (12)
• France is the world’s major tourist destination.(60 millions visit France annually)
• Paris is considered the capital of the world in terms of quality of life (Healey and Baker)
• France is with Germany the main pillar in the EMU (European Monetary Union).
• France is Europe’s foremost investor abroad.
• France ranks 4^th in terms of world power and it does not have the debt problems facing many other major industrialized nations. (A positive sign for joint projects, business and scientific co-operation).
• France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have the lowest rates of inflation in the European Union. This is an indicator of the health of these countries.
• France is renowned for the quality of its high-tech.
• French is a major language of high-tech and business in the world. (Second language on the internet.)
• Over 50,000 English words have their origin in French.
• In terms of number of words, French is the largest language after English.
• France offers a range of generous scholarships to our graduate students.
• French is the most widely taught second language after English.
• French is the official language of the International Red Cross.
• French is the official language of post offices across the world.
• French is one of the two official languages at the Olympic Games.
• French-speaking Africa represents an area larger than the U.S.A.
• Montréal is the second largest French-Speaking city in the world.
• Le Courrier Australien, founded in 1892, is the oldest ethnic newspaper in Australia.
• Trade with Australia in 1995 totaled the following (figures obtained from the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry):

• Imports 6,3666, 000,000francs (the highest level recorded)
• Exports 4,393,000,000francs (1 Australian dollar= 3.5 francs)

• Megabucks for trade: In 1995 the United States did business/trade with the following countries in order of importance: 1. French-speaking countries; 2. Japan; 3. Spanish speaking countries.
• Learning French can help you improve the interpersonal skills you bring to your international career.
• A good knowledge of French enables you to fully enjoy at the movie theaters or on TV, the best films from the French-speaking world.
• You can do so many more interesting things on the internet if you speak French. There are many high quality internet sites available in French ranging from society to science, fashion to finance, music to medicine …just to mention a few.
• For those with the appropriate skills there are also possibilities for employment (building a career rather than keeping a job) in the following fields:

• International business( what other kind of business is there in a global economy?)
• International agencies.
• The tourism and hospitality industries.
• The diplomatic service.
• French and /or French-speaking research institutes.
• Teaching
• Translating or interpreting.

And don’t forget the other 43 or so good reasons:

FRENCH IS SPOKEN IN OVER 43 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.

Countries where French is a national language:

French is spoken officially in 33 countries – that is, there are 33 countries in which French is either the official language, or one of the official languages. This number is second only to English, which is spoken officially in 45 countries. French and English are the only languages spoken as a native language on 5 continents and the only languages taught in every country in the world.(3)

I. French is the official language of France and its overseas territories* as well as 14 other countries:

1. Bénin
2. Burkina Faso
3. Central African Republic
4. Congo (Democratic Republic of)
5. Congo (Republic of)
6. Côte d’Ivoire
7. Gabon
8. Guinea
9. Luxembourg
10. Mali
11. Monaco
12. Niger
13. Sénégal
14. Togo

French is also the official language of certain regions of multilingual countries:

• Belgium: Wallonie region
• Canada: Québec province
• Switzerland: Jura, Genève, Neuchâtel, and Vaud districts

II. French is one of the official languages in the following countries:

• Belgium
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Chad
• Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey)
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• Haiti (the other official language is French Creole)
• Madagascar
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Switzerland
• Vanuatu

III. In many countries, French plays an important role, either as an administrative, commercial, or international language or simply due to a significant French-speaking population:

• Algeria
• Andorra
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Cape Verde
• Dominica (French patois)
• Egypt
• Greece
• Grenada (French patois)
• Guinea-Bissau
• India
• Italy (Valle d’Aosta)
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Poland
• Saint Lucia
• Syria
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• United States (Louisiana, New England)
• Vatican City
• Vietnam

IV. Although I haven’t found any official information about what role French plays in them, the following countries are members of or associated with la Francophonie: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldovia, Romania, and Slovenia.

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It is important to note the distinction between institutional francophonie and cultural francophonie. Although French is not an official language in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon, it is widely used in literature and films.

In the United The OIF has Observer Status Nations General Assembly and is an observer to the European Union, the Organization of African Unity and the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Where is French used?

French is considered an international language not only because it is spoken in dozens of countries, but also because it is one of the official working languages in many international organizations, including

• African Union (AU)  (5)
• Amnesty International  (4)
• Council of Europe  (2)
• European Commission  (3)
• Interpol  (4)
• International Criminal Court  (2)
• International Olympic Committee  (2)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)  (2)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent  (3)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)  (1)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)  (3)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)  (2)
• Organization for Economic Cooperation + Development (OECD)  (2)
• United Nations (UN)  (6)
• World Health Organization (WHO)  (6)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)  (3)

The number (in parentheses) indicates the total number of official working languages for that organization.

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