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WHY STUDY FRENCH?

PART ONEWhy Study World Languages?

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WHEN CHOOSING WHICH LANGUAGE TO STUDY, PERSONAL INTEREST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR

While the study of any world language has its challenges at times, most students are capable of learning world languages and are encouraged todo so. You may wish to consider career plans, cultural heritage, and world travel interests when deciding which language to study. The most important thing to remember is that you will find the most success if you (not your parents or peers) have chosen the language you are studying.

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YOU SHOULD TAKE 3 OR 4 YEARS OF YOUR LANGUAGE

Many students and parents mistakenly believe that colleges only require two years of world language study. The truth is that it depends on the college. For example, the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota has not only an entrance requirement (of three years of high school study) but a graduation requirement (of approximately the equivalent of four years of high school study).

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The more high school study a student has, the easier it will be to test into an advanced class or even to test out of the graduation requirement.

High school classes are also slower paced than college classes. For example, a year-long high school class is taught in one semester at the U of M.

The bottom line is that, if you are planning to attend college, you should take as many years of world language as possible while at high school.

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STUDENTS SHOULD SPECIALIZE IN ONE LANGUAGE

Colleges want to see that a student has committed to four years of a single world language. If high school students are interested in beginning a second language, they should do so while continuing into the advanced levels of their first language.

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PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL BENEFITS OF LANGUAGE

Fluency in a world language looks good on college and job applications and benefits you professionally. Furthermore, it will enrich your life when you travel to countries which speak the language you have studied or encounter speakers of the language you have studied.

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WHY STUDY FRENCH?

PART TWOWhy Study French?

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French is the second most frequently taught foreign language in the world, after English.

While traveling, if you encounter someone who does not speak English, chances are good that s/he will speak French.

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If you speak English and have never studied a day of French, you already know some 15,000 words in French.

Roughly half the words in Modern English are of French origin.

If you study French in high school, you will be happy to realize that you already recognize a lot of French vocabulary.

Knowing French can help you with the language sections of standardized tests.

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English words of French origin associated with POLITICS

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English words of French origin associated with POLITICS taxrevenuegovernmentparliamentroyalslaveprince

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English words of French origin associated with RELIGION

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English words of French origin associated with RELIGIONprayersermonreligionchaplainpriest

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English words of French origin associated with LAW

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English words of French origin associated with LAW judgedefendantjuryevidencejailcrime

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English words of French origin associated with MEDICINE

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English words of French origin associated with MEDICINE medicinephysicianpharmacydoctorhospital

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English words of French origin associated with ART

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English words of French origin associated with ART artsculpturefaçadefashion

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English words of French origin associated with LITERATURE

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English words of French origin associated with LITERATURE literaturepoetrystoryhistoryverse

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English words of French origin associated with MUSIC

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English words of French origin associated with MUSIC ballet (and all its terminology)musicchamberensemblevoiceinstrument

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French is the only language other than English that is spoken by native speakerson five continents.

EUROPE: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco

NORTH AMERICA: Canada, Louisiana

SOUTH AMERICA: Haiti, French Guiana, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique

AFRICA: Senegal, Morocco, Mali, 24 more

ASIA: Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tahiti

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TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS(international tourist arrivals in 2008)1. France 79.3 million 2. United States 58.0 million 3. Spain 57.3 million 4. China 53.0 million 5. Italy 42.7 million 6. United Kingdom 30.2 million 7. Ukraine 25.4 million 8. Turkey 25.0 million 9. Germany 24.9 million 10. Mexico 22.6 million

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FASHION AND LUXURY GOODS

France is the world’s leader in the production of luxury goods (cars, yachts, airplanes, watches, jewelry, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, perfume, luggage, wine, spirits, chocolate, etc.)

Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world.

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RECENT (12/01/09) LISTING OFINTERNATIONAL JOBS DISTRIBUTED BY THEUS STATE DEPARTMENT92 required or preferred French36 required or preferred Spanish11 required or preferred a UN language

(Arabic, Chinese, English,French, Russian, Spanish)

7 required or preferred Arabic5 required or preferred Russian1 required or preferred

Chinese/German/Hindi/Japanese

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France is the fourth largest producer of automobiles in the world (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën) and the third largest automobile exporter.

French is an official working language of the United Nations, NATO, UNESCO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Union, and the International Red Cross.

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WORLD MERCHANDISE TRADE 2007EXPORTERS IMPORTERS1 - Germany 1 - United States2 - China 2 - Germany3 - United States 3 - China4 - Japan 4 - Japan 5 - France 5 - United Kingdom 6 - Netherlands 6 - France7 - Italy 7 - Italy8 - United Kingdom 8 - Netherlands9 - Belgium 9 - Belgium 10 - Canada 10 - Canada

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

French is one of the two national languages spoken by our largest trading partner, Canada. In 2006, the United States exported more to countries having French as a national language than to countries speaking any other foreign language. Exports to Canada alone in that year were greater than the combined exports to all countries south of the United States. The province of Quebec alone is the sixth largest trading partner of the United States with about $72 billion in trade in 2006.

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From 2003 to 2008, trade between France and the United States increased by 59% with one billion dollars of transactions taking place every day.

The United States and France are the world's top two exporters in three very important sectors: defense products, agricultural goods, and services.

In 2008, the US Air Force awarded a $35 billion contract to Airbus. This was the largest military contract ever awarded to a foreign company as well as the third largest military contract ever awarded.

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ECONOMY

France has the fifth largest economy in the world after the United States, Japan, China, and Germany.

The world invests in France: in 2006, France was the third largest destination of foreign investment in the world (behind the United States and the United Kingdom).

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Among foreign countries doing business in the United States, France employs the third largest number of Americans (about 650,000).

In recent years, the United States has been the largest direct investor in France.

Three of the five largest foreign investors in the United States are French-speaking (Belgium, Japan, Canada, UK, France).

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MINNESOTA BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

In 2006, almost 30% of Minnesota’s exports went to French-speaking countries (Canada, France, Belgium, and Switzerland).

More than 50 Minnesota companies have offices in France.

Minnesota purchased $4.9 billion worth of energy from Canada in 2004.

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TECHNOLOGY

High-definition television was invented in France.

France has one of the most advanced systems of telecommunications in the world.

Fiber optics were invented in France.

France will be the site of the world's first nuclear fusion reactor.

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TECHNOLOGY

France is a major world research center in the field of high energy physics.

The French TGV (train à grande vitesse) is the fastest passenger train in the world.

The world’s largest passenger airplane, the A380, is being produced by the French company Airbus.

Most commercial satellites are put into space on French Ariane rockets.

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MEDICINE

French doctors were the first to isolate the AIDS virus in 1983.

French doctors performed the first human face transplant in 2005.

The French are a leader in medical genetics (a major research center for the Human Genome Project is located in Paris).

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

France gives more foreign aid per capita to developing nations than does the United States.

The French have nearly 15,000 troops on peacekeeping duties in 15 countries.

France is the world’s third military power (after the US and Russia).

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INTERESTED IN STUDYING FRENCH?

You are not alone: the 2008 ACTFL Survey indicates that more students are interested in studying French than any other foreign language in the US.

(ACTFL = American Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures)