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Learning a
second language-FRENCH :- |
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The learning of a second language is in
itself an excellent pursuit, not least because it develops an
appreciation of the act of communicating with others, the
subtleties that must be expressed in words, the importance of
listening. - Dr. André Obadia of Simon Fraser
University1 |
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Learning a language is like giving a gold
deposit to your children, but without risk, because while gold
may decrease in value, knowledge will not. Gold can be stolen,
but knowledge always grows. - Dr. Roseann Runte,
President of Victoria University,
Toronto2 |
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In business, having a second language is
like having a second soul. A real asset for Canada has proven
to be the ability of so many of its people to empathize with
people of other lands through language. The demands of a
globally competitive business environment are such that a
modern education cannot be complete without significant
language training. - Randall Litchfield of Canadian
Business Magazine3 |
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It's more than conjugating verbs and
learning vocabulary. It enables you to share and compare ideas
with people you never otherwise would have known. -
Wai-ling Ho Ching, Coquitlam, B.C.4 |
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Knowing a
second language :- |
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Increases your personal pleasures such as
the enjoyment of literature, art, music, theatre, travel, and
personal relationships |
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Increases your understanding of and respect
for other peoples and other cultures |
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Gives you access to a larger pool of
information and to more educational and career
opportunities |
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Learning a
second language :- |
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Develops your listening and learning skills
as well as self-discipline |
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Increases cognitive abilities, creating a
more flexible thinker |
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Enhances knowledge and ability to
communicate in your first language |
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Makes learning a third or fourth language
much easier |
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A WORLD
LANGUAGE :- |
| Estimates of the number of French speakers
around the world range from 100,000,000 to 250,000,000. |
| La Francophonie is a network of 56 states and
government, of which 28 countries have French as an official
language. |
| French and English are the languages of world
diplomacy. French is an official working language of the
United Nations, the International Red Cross, the International
Olympic Committee, the European Economic Community, and the
International Labour Bureau. |
| French is the second more frequently known by
Europeans in addition to their mother tongue. Nearly 1/5 of
non-Francophone Europeans say they know French. |
| French is the second most frequently taught
language in the world. It is the second most prevalent
language on the Internet. |
| Nowadays, bilingualism is increasingly viewed
as a certified asset, one that provides mobility and insight.
According to Karl Moore, a management specialist at McGill
University, there is a disproportionate number of Canadians
running large international organizations the world over. The
fact that they come from a smaller, and bilingual, country
makes them better suited than, say, Americans or Britons to
understand and handle the various cultural sensitivities at
play in the global economy. - Benoit Aubin, "Speaking
in Tongues," Macleans.ca, December 9, 2002 |
| Knowing both languages [English and French]
means twice as much of everything, just like a two for one
deal! ... The two for one deal means you can have twice as
many friends, twice as many job opportunities, and twice as
many experiences. And that all adds up to more fun for me!
- Heather Szpecht, 10-year-old Calgary
student5 |
| Throughout the past five years, French has
come in handy for me at the most surprising times. I feel a
thrill whenever I can conquer a situation due to this and I
feel proud to come from a country that recognizes it as an
official language. I want to encourage these programs to
continue so that we can continue to ignore international
language boundaries. - Sheena Tieffel, Merrit,
B.C.6 |
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| There are more
than 75 good reasons to study French :- |
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It is not limited to one or
two continents. |
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French is spoken in two of the G7
countries. |
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France is the world's major tourist
destination (75 million tourists a year). |
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France is Europe's foremost investor
abroad. |
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France, Belgium, the Netherlands and
Germany have the lowest rates of inflation in the
European Union. (This is an indicator of the health of
these countries.) |
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France is in 4th position in terms of
world power and it does not have the debt problems
facing many other major industrialized nations. (A
positive sign for joint projects, business and
scientific co-operation.) |
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France is renowned for the quality of
its high tech. (The TGV is the fastest train in the
world - 515 kph) |
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French is the official language of the
International Red Cross. |
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France is one of the two official
languages at the Olympic Games. |
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French-speaking Africa represents an
area larger than the USA. |
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French is the most widely taught second
language after English. |
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French is one of the official languages
of the United Nations. |
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French is a major language of high tech
and business in the world. |
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Over 20,000 English words have their
origins in French. |
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In terms of number of words, French is
the second largest language after English. |
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France offers a range of generous
scholarships to our graduate students. |
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Paris had 1,100 congresses in 1993
(including 400 international congresses) - a world
record. |
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Montréal is the second largest
French-speaking city in the world. |
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Le Courrier Australien, founded in 1892,
is the oldest ethnic newspaper in Australia. |
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PARIS is considered the capital of the
world in terms of quality of life (Healey and Baker
1991.) |
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TRADE with AUSTRALIA in 1995 totaled the
following: |
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IMPORTS 6,366,000,000 francs (the
highest level recorded) |
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EXPORTS 4,393,000,000 francs (1
Australian dollar = 3.5 French francs) (Figures obtained
from the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry) |
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MEGABUCKS FOR TRADE: In 1994 the United
States did business / trade with the following countries
in order of importance: |
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French speaking countries; |
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Japan; |
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Spanish speaking countries. |
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Be able to fully enjoy, at the cinema or
on TV, the best films from the French-speaking world.
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Learning French can help you improve the
interpersonal skills you bring to your international
career. |
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French is still the most widely taught
language in schools in Western Australia at TEE level.
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You can do so many more interesting
things on the Internet if you speak French. (There are
many high quality internet sites available in French
ranging from fashion to finance, society to science,
music to medicine... just to mention a few) |
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For those with the appropriate skills
there are also possibilities for work in the following
fields : |
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International
business. |
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International agencies. |
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Tourism and hospitality
industries. |
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Diplomatic service. |
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French research institutes |
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As a teacher. |
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As a translator or
interpreter. | |
| And don't forget the
other 43 good reasons! French is spoken in over 43
countries in the
world. | |
