Why are languages important ? Let’s find out together ….

Why are languages important ?

Let’s find out together ….

So, why French ?

Think of as many reasons as you can why you should study

French.

Jot them down.

Let’s see how many you get…

cul-de-sac

deluxe

ensuiteblond(e)

brunette

au pair

fiancé(e)

femme fatal

hotel

balletchic

souvenir

restaurant

chef

menu

cuisinebuffet

croissantchampagne

Do you know what these words mean?

cul-de-sac

deluxe

ensuiteblond(e)

brunette

au pair

fiancé(e)

femme fatal

hotel

balletchic

souvenir

restaurant

chef

menu

cuisinebuffet

croissantchampagne

Can you think of any others?

croissantbaguette

champagne

You know it already !

Did you know 40 per cent of words in English are derived

from French.Number - numéro

Risk - risque

Theory - théorie

Table - table

Danger - danger

Café - café

Important - important(e)

Cassette - cassette

How many more can you think of ? Jot them down too.

And it gets better !

Most people have an ‘active vocabulary’ of about 1,500 – 2,000 words.

That means most people tend to use the same words again and again, even though

they may know more.

So….

As 40 per cent of English words come from French ….

There are about 600 French

words you know and use

every day.

….it means….

Learn another nine hundred over

the next few years….

and you’re totally fluent !

The Facts• French is spoken on FIVE continents

• 43 countries speak FRENCH as their 1st or 2nd language

• That’s 181 MILLION people !

• or 181,000,000 x

• Another 82 ½ MILLION learn to speak it.

• France is the NUMBER ONE tourist destination in the world - 70 million people go there every year !

Do you know in which countries they speak French?

1. Belgium 2. Benin 3. Burkina 4. Burundi 5. Cameroon 6. Canada 7. Central African Republic 8. Chad 9. Comoros 10. Congo 11. Congo, Democratic Republic of 12. Cote d'Ivoire 13. Djibouti 14. France

15. Gabon 16. Guinea 17. Haiti 18. Luxembourg 19. Madagascar 20. Mali 21. Monaco 22. Niger 23. Rwanda 24. Senegal 25. Seychelles 26. Switzerland 27. Togo 28. Vanuatu 29. Vietnam

Here are just some of them…

When someone says “France“ to you what comes into your head?

Groovy Baby!

French is the language of…

• cuisine

• culture

• fashion

• the arts

• dance and…

Try to have a ‘tête-à-tête’, ‘rendezvous’, and a ‘frisson’ in

any other language.

Could you learn about battles without ‘manoeuvres’,

‘espionage’, ‘sabotage’ and ‘massacre’ ?

Where will you eat ?

A ‘restaurant’, ‘buffet’ or a café?

‘Casserole’,

‘omelettes’,

or ‘gateau’ ?

And what will you choose ?

As if that’s not enough,

Why study French ?

Work.• Knowing French will help you in the global economy of the future.

• You will be much more attractive to overseas employers if you can work in a global market.

• Most European children learn a second language at primary school and a third at secondary school. You need to be able to compete with them.

• With French you can be involved in transactions happening every day in French on every continent.

Opportunity• France is a world leader in telecommunications.

• The EU is the second largest trading block in the world, French is one of its official languages.

• French is vital if you work for the United Nations, UNESCO, or in foreign affairs.

• Global businesses need French speakers: transport, travel and tourism, import / export, education, media and publishing, finance, banking, customs, immigration, international aid agencies.

Travel• Speaking French enables you to be an educated tourist, asking for directions, information and opportunity in places like:

VietnamCambodia

Egypt

Senegal

New CaledoniaTahiti

Switzerla

nd

?

Culture• Knowing French increases your appreciation of other people and their culture.

• Because so many people speak French so widely, knowing French increases your chances of being able to communicate in a non-English speaking country.

Sport

Le Mans

France is the home to a host of sporting events:

Monte CarloHorse racing at LongchampsThe Tour de

France

Not to mention…. RUGBY !

And French is ALWAYS th

e first

language used to announce th

e

winners and medals at th

e

Olympic Games and th

e Winter

Olympics.

Knowing French will improve your EnglishLearning French helps you to

understand how your own language works, its grammar,

tenses, verbs and adverbs.

Knowing English means you already know some 15,000

French words …

… And that’s without vocab tests !

Learn French, feel good !

It will improve your memory, problem-solving skills, self discipline and self-esteem.

Why ?Because your progress is rapid and your is success

easy to measure.

Success in higher educationFrench will help you improve your chances at

degree and post-graduate level.

Many institutions require French or German for scholars to conduct research.

Times are changing…In the U.K there are moves to

make success in a language at NCEA level 1 a prerequisite for university

entry.

Convinced ?

In New Zealand far more girls study the French language

than boys.

People form relationships when they have something in common.

Hmm….Got it yet ?

Merci !