Why French?
It's spoken all over the worldFrench is spoken by more than 260 million people on five continents. It is the official language, or one of the official languages, of 70 nations. It's also the second-most commonly studied foreign language, after English. France maintains the world's largest network of overseas cultural institutions. Together those institutions teach French to more than 750,000 people each year. It's the second language of international relations. French is one of the official (and working) languages of the United Nations (including UNESCO), the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, NATO, OECD, and the International Red Cross. It's the key to a vast and growing cultural treasure. French is the international language of the theater, the visual arts, dance, architecture, haute cuisine, and fashion. Knowing French gives you direct access to the great literature, films, and songs of French and francophone culture. It's also a great way to learn other languages. Once you know French, with its thousands of English cognates, you'll have an easier time with the other Romance languages: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. |