Questce que cest que la francophonie

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Quest-ce que cest que la francophonie?

• What is Francophonie?
• 18 October 2004
• Nicole Linn

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Todays Objective

• Following a presentation on the prevalence of the
  French language, students will be able to
  explain, in a brief letter, why French is so
  important.

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Facts about French

• French is the only foreign language that can be
  useful throughout the world as well as in the
  United States.
• French as a foreign language is the second most
  frequently taught language in the world after
  English.

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More Facts

• The International Organization of Francophonie
  has 51 member states and governments.
• Of these, 28 countries have French as an official
  language.
• French is the only language other than English
  spoken on five continents.
• French and English are the only two global
  languages!

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Organizations

• French, along with English, is the official
  working language of
• the United NationsUNESCONATOOrganization for
  Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)the
  International Labor Bureauthe International
  Olympic Committeethe 31-member Council of
  Europethe European Communitythe Universal
  Postal Unionthe International Red CrossUnion of
  International Associations (UIA)

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A Real-Life Example

• In a recent listing of international jobs
  (9/14/04) distributed by the US State Department
  
• 130 required or preferred French
• 57 a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English,
  French, Russian, and Spanish)
• 39 Spanish
• 5 Arabic
• 2 Portuguese
• 3 Russian
• 3 German
• 1 Italian
• 5 other
• http//www.fll.vt.edu/french/whyfrench.html

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Economics

• France is the worlds most popular tourist
  destination.
• France is the foreign language spoken by our
  largest trading partner (Canada).
• In 2000, the United States exported more to
  countries having French as a national language
  than to countries having 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.
• http//www.fll.vt.edu/french/whyfrench.html

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The Importance of French in Schools

• Many important scholarly works in the humanities
  and social sciences are written in French.
• The translation process takes time, so it is to
  your benefit to be able to read these texts in
  their original language.
• Most graduate schools require students to know at
  least one foreign language.
• French is the second language of the Internet.

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Employment Opportunities

• International business
• The tourism and hospitality industries
• The diplomatic service
• French and /or French-speaking research
  institutes
• Teaching
• Translating or interpreting

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Learning Activity

• Open Internet Explorer and go to www.google.com
• Search for three more examples of the popularity
  of the French language.
• Be prepared to share at least one of these facts
  with the class.
• You will have 5 minutes.

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Summary (Response Board True/False Questions)

• France is the worlds most popular tourist
  destination.
• French is the national language of over 20
  countries.
• French is not spoken in any countries close to
  the United States.
• After English and Spanish, French is the third
  most taught language in the world
• French is the second most popular language on the
  Internet.

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Tomorrows Class

• Imagine the school board has decided to cancel
  French classes due to budget cuts. Write a short
  letter (350 words) explaining to the school board
  just how important French is in todays world and
  why it needs to remain in our schools curriculum.