1 WHY STUDY FRENCH? PART ONE Why Study World Languages?

2 WHEN CHOOSING WHICH LANGUAGE TO STUDY, PERSONAL INTEREST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR While the study of any world language has its challenges at times, most students are capable of learning world languages and are encouraged to do so. You may wish to consider career plans, cultural heritage, and world travel interests when deciding which language to study. The most important thing to remember is that you will find the most success if you (not your parents or peers) have chosen the language you are studying.

3 YOU SHOULD TAKE 3 OR 4 YEARS OF YOUR LANGUAGE Many students and parents mistakenly believe that colleges only require two years of world language study. The truth is that it depends on the college. For example, the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota has not only an entrance requirement (of three years of high school study) but a graduation requirement (of approximately the equivalent of four years of high school study).

4 The more high school study a student has, the easier it will be to test into an advanced class or even to test out of the graduation requirement. High school classes are also slower paced than college classes. For example, a year-long high school class is taught in one semester at the U of M. The bottom line is that, if you are planning to attend college, you should take as many years of world language as possible while at high school.

5 STUDENTS SHOULD SPECIALIZE IN ONE LANGUAGE Colleges want to see that a student has committed to four years of a single world language. If high school students are interested in beginning a second language, they should do so while continuing into the advanced levels of their first language.

6 PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL BENEFITS OF LANGUAGE Fluency in a world language looks good on college and job applications and benefits you professionally. Furthermore, it will enrich your life when you travel to countries which speak the language you have studied or encounter speakers of the language you have studied.

7 WHY STUDY FRENCH? PART TWO Why Study French?

8 French is the second most frequently taught foreign language in the world, after English. While traveling, if you encounter someone who does not speak English, chances are good that s/he will speak French.

9 If you speak English and have never studied a day of French, you already know some 15,000 words in French. Roughly half the words in Modern English are of French origin. If you study French in high school, you will be happy to realize that you already recognize a lot of French vocabulary. Knowing French can help you with the language sections of standardized tests.

10 English words of French origin associated with POLITICS

11 English words of French origin associated with POLITICS tax revenue government parliament royal slave prince

12 English words of French origin associated with RELIGION

13 English words of French origin associated with RELIGION prayer sermon religion chaplain priest

14 English words of French origin associated with LAW

15 English words of French origin associated with LAW judge defendant jury evidence jail crime

16 English words of French origin associated with MEDICINE

17 English words of French origin associated with MEDICINE medicine physician pharmacy doctor hospital

18 English words of French origin associated with ART

19 English words of French origin associated with ART art sculpture façade fashion

20 English words of French origin associated with LITERATURE

21 English words of French origin associated with LITERATURE literature poetry story history verse

22 English words of French origin associated with MUSIC

23 English words of French origin associated with MUSIC ballet (and all its terminology) music chamber ensemble voice instrument

24 French is the only language other than English that is spoken by native speakers on five continents. EUROPE: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco NORTH AMERICA: Canada, Louisiana SOUTH AMERICA: Haiti, French Guiana, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique AFRICA: Senegal, Morocco, Mali, 24 more ASIA: Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tahiti

25 TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS (international tourist arrivals in 2008) 1. France 79.3 million 2. United States 58.0 million 3. Spain 57.3 million 4. China 53.0 million 5. Italy 42.7 million 6. United Kingdom 30.2 million 7. Ukraine25.4 million 8. Turkey25.0 million 9. Germany 24.9 million 10. Mexico 22.6 million

26 FASHION AND LUXURY GOODS France is the world’s leader in the production of luxury goods (cars, yachts, airplanes, watches, jewelry, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, perfume, luggage, wine, spirits, chocolate, etc.) Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world.

27 RECENT (12/01/09) LISTING OF INTERNATIONAL JOBS DISTRIBUTED BY THE US STATE DEPARTMENT 92 required or preferred French 36 required or preferred Spanish 11 required or preferred a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish) 7 required or preferred Arabic 5 required or preferred Russian 1 required or preferred Chinese/German/Hindi/Japanese

28 France is the fourth largest producer of automobiles in the world (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën) and the third largest automobile exporter. French is an official working language of the United Nations, NATO, UNESCO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Union, and the International Red Cross.

29 WORLD MERCHANDISE TRADE 2007 EXPORTERS IMPORTERS 1 - Germany1 - United States 2 - China 2 - Germany 3 - United States 3 - China 4 - Japan4 - Japan 5 - France5 - United Kingdom 6 - Netherlands6 - France 7 - Italy 7 - Italy 8 - United Kingdom 8 - Netherlands 9 - Belgium 9 - Belgium 10 - Canada 10 - Canada

30 INTERNATIONAL TRADE French is one of the two national languages spoken by our largest trading partner, Canada. In 2006, the United States exported more to countries having French as a national language than to countries speaking 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. The province of Quebec alone is the sixth largest trading partner of the United States with about $72 billion in trade in 2006.

31 From 2003 to 2008, trade between France and the United States increased by 59% with one billion dollars of transactions taking place every day. The United States and France are the world's top two exporters in three very important sectors: defense products, agricultural goods, and services. In 2008, the US Air Force awarded a $35 billion contract to Airbus. This was the largest military contract ever awarded to a foreign company as well as the third largest military contract ever awarded.

32 ECONOMY France has the fifth largest economy in the world after the United States, Japan, China, and Germany. The world invests in France: in 2006, France was the third largest destination of foreign investment in the world (behind the United States and the United Kingdom).

33 Among foreign countries doing business in the United States, France employs the third largest number of Americans (about 650,000). In recent years, the United States has been the largest direct investor in France. Three of the five largest foreign investors in the United States are French-speaking (Belgium, Japan, Canada, UK, France).

34 MINNESOTA BUSINESS CONNECTIONS In 2006, almost 30% of Minnesota’s exports went to French-speaking countries (Canada, France, Belgium, and Switzerland). More than 50 Minnesota companies have offices in France. Minnesota purchased $4.9 billion worth of energy from Canada in 2004.

35 TECHNOLOGY High-definition television was invented in France. France has one of the most advanced systems of telecommunications in the world. Fiber optics were invented in France. France will be the site of the world's first nuclear fusion reactor.

36 TECHNOLOGY France is a major world research center in the field of high energy physics. The French TGV (train à grande vitesse) is the fastest passenger train in the world. The world’s largest passenger airplane, the A380, is being produced by the French company Airbus. Most commercial satellites are put into space on French Ariane rockets.

37 MEDICINE French doctors were the first to isolate the AIDS virus in French doctors performed the first human face transplant in The French are a leader in medical genetics (a major research center for the Human Genome Project is located in Paris).

38 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS France gives more foreign aid per capita to developing nations than does the United States. The French have nearly 15,000 troops on peacekeeping duties in 15 countries. France is the world’s third military power (after the US and Russia).

39 INTERESTED IN STUDYING FRENCH? You are not alone: the 2008 ACTFL Survey indicates that more students are interested in studying French than any other foreign language in the US. (ACTFL = American Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures)