Why French?

Culture / Prestige• From 17th century to the mid 20th century, French was

the pre-eminent international language of diplomacy and international affairs as well as the lingua franca of the educated European classes

• History, Literature

• Gastronomy, Art, Fashion

Culture / Prestige• bas-relief• chef d'œuvre• coup d'état • coup de foudre • fondue• crême brûlée• crême fraîche• cuisine• pièce de résistance

• déjà vu• du jour• encore• faux• laissez-faire• savoir-faire• trompe l'œil• touché• tête-à-tête

English Vocab

• Over one third of the English vocabulary has been borrowed from French

• cerise• carte blanche• portmanteau• coiffeur

Geography

Geography (travel + business)

• official language of 28 countries, important language in 56 countries making OIF

• second most frequently taught language in the world after English

• only language other than English spoken on five continents

Geography (travel + business)

• French is the only foreign language that can be useful throughout the world as well as in the United States

French, along with English, is the official working language of :

• the United Nations• UNESCO• NATO• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD)• the International Labor Bureau• the International Olympic Committee• the 31-member Council of Europe• the European Community• the Universal Postal Union• the International Red Cross• Union of International Associations (UIA)

In a recent listing of international jobs (12/1/09) distributed by the US State Department:

• 92 required or preferred French• 36 Spanish• 11 a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian,

and Spanish)• 7 Arabic• 5 Russian• 1 Japanese• 1 Hindi• 1 German• 1 Chinese

Business• one of the official languages of Canada, our most important

trading partner, and the only official language of the province of Quebec, which is our sixth-largest trading partner

• France has the fifth-largest economy in the world• French companies alone have created more than 520,000 jobs

in the United States, while American companies employ 650,000 people in France

• Plus: half of the African continent has French as an official or administrative language and represents a very promising potential market for the United States

Science/Technology• France is a European leader in aerospace

(Aérospatiale, Arianespace, Airbus...), and most commercial satellites are put into space on French Ariane rockets

• The fastest train (TGV) is French• France a world leader in medical research and

genetics

Science/Technology• France is the world's third military power (after the

US and Russia), and has the world's second largest defense industry (i.e. exocet missiles, radar technology.)

• France is the world’s third nuclear power (after the United States and Russia)

• The world’s first nuclear fusion reactor, ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is being built in France

Sources• http://www.wwu.edu/depts/mcl/french/FR/Archives

/Special%20Report%20-%20French%20Review%2084.5%20%28April%202011%29.html

• http://www.fll.vt.edu/French/whyfrench.html