Reasons For Studying and Continuing With Your Study Of French...
1. Learn to speak with other citizens of the world.
Over 200 million people speak French as their native tongue. Our other nearest neighbor besides Mexico has some French heritage that has carried over to today. 1/3 of all Canadians are French-Speaking. Céline Dion is one of the more famous of these French-Speakers of today.
"Les Voyages Forment La Jeunesse--Travel Shapes Youth". The most visited travel destination on Earth is France, and most particularly, Paris.
Although Spanish is studied by more in the United States than is French, French is the most studied foreign language in the world after English.
For some interesting statistics on the world's languages, go to the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook language page. There, you will find a listing of every country on earth and the listing of each country's languages. You will notice all of the places where French is the national language or is one of the national languages.
2. Fulfill college entrance requirements.
You are expected to study a minimum of two years of a foreign language, but many colleges require advanced study (French Three and French Four) before admission.
3. Gain cultural understanding.
French is the only language besides English spoken on every continent. Over 50 countries use French as an official language, rivaling the number of English-speaking countries. Another widely used European language, Spanish, is used in 27 countries. Each of the French-speaking nations has a rich cultural heritage of its own that is there for us to explore in our studies. One of the most well established and well-known literary traditions is Francophone. Who has not heard of D'Artagnon, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis--from the Three Musketeers of Dumas, or Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert --from Les Miserables of Victor Hugo? Let's not leave out the wonderful world of French art and music--Claude Monet, Edgar Dégas, Auguste Rodin, Claude Debussy, etc.
4. Gain economic advantage through your skills in French.
Many jobs require a working knowledge of French.
American Job Example 1Canadian Foreign Language Job Listing
Canadian Recent Top Language Jobs--RSS feed
50% of the companies doing business in the United States also do business in France.
Our largest trading partner is French and English-speaking Canada.
The number one foreign country in which Americans invest financially is France.
5. Have fun learning a new skill.
Speaking, understanding, reading, and writing in French opens a whole new world. It is a tremendously rewarding skill to master, and it can be fun along the way.