Why Learn French?

French Classes
10 Reasons to Study French:

• You will find French speakers on all continents around the world. French is the native language of some 200 million people and is the second language of millions more. In Europe, it is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
  In the Americas, it is an official language of Canada and spoken in the Carribbean.
  
• It is the language of the well educated in parts of Southeast Asia, North Africa and much of Western and Central Africa. Being able to speak French is an asset for anyone interested in working in international organizations such as the Peace Corps.
• French is a key language in the European Union of twenty five nations, the world's largest economic entity.
  
• With a population of 350 million and a gross national product larger than the United States, the European Union is an economic superpower
  
• French is a language of business. Today, American companies have over 2,000 subsidiaries in France, and French companies have over 600 subsidiaries in the United States. Major corporations with headquarters or subsidiaries in the United States and France include Du Pont, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Apple Computer, Michelin, Renault, Bic and many more.
• French is a language of technology and medicine. Dr. Luc Montagnier discovered HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The Chunnel under the English Channel, the TGV high speed trains, and the Concorde are only a few examples of recent French technological advances.
• French fashion designers, artists, writers, musicians, chefs and filmmakers have had a wide influence in the United States and the rest of the world.
• Impressionist painters like Monet, musicians like Ravel and Boulez, novelists like Flaubert and Camus have had an influence on world culture. Many recent American films like Three Men and a Babyor Point of No Return are remakes of French movies. Where would Julia Child be without French cuisine? Who hasn't heard of Christian Dior, Chanel, and Pierre Cardin?
• French is the language of influential, religious, and intellectual movements. Jean Calvin helped define Protestantism; Enlightment writers like Voltaire championed human rights; Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent feminist, and Michel Foucault was a founder of postmodernism.
• French is a language of tourism. Paris is the third most visited international city by Americans. France is the second most visited country in the world, and Quebec offers a taste of Europe in North America.

Acknowledgment: Alliance Française de Washington