French « Pimsleur Method

French is spoken in over 40 countries. French and English are the two most widely spread languages in Africa. French is spoken in more countries and on more continents than any other language except for English. French is spoken in all the border areas from the Riviera to the area north of Milan (bordering with France and Switzerland). French is spoken in west and southwest Switzerland, the region being served by Geneva airport. The French language is the second most widely spoken language in Switzerland. Approximately 20% of people in Switzerland speak French as their first language. Many international organizations use French as their official language. It is also used along with English and German in some of the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles around the world.

The French culture is diverse and pervades many aspects of our daily life. The French language is the first foreign language taught in Nigeria. The demand is strong from various sectors of the Nigerian society, including administrations which feel the need to have French-speaking civil servants to better communicate with Nigeria’s French-speaking neighbors. French and English are the two most widely spread languages in Africa. The French language is also the official language of Quebec.

French is spoken in France (in metropole and in overseas departments) but also in Belgium and Switzerland (besides other official languages), in Quebec, and most importantly in Western Africa. West Africa has been a French colony until the 60s and French has stayed the official language in most of the countries. French is spoken in Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium. The Walloons account for 32 percent of the Belgian population. French is spoken in the non-native community of La Romaine. Federal government employees are expected to speak both of Canada’s official languages.

The French language is a key that unlocks the doors of division like no other key can. French has been called the language of romance, fostering a relationship between two people like none other. The French language is the vehicle of a rich philosophical and literary tradition. Enlightenment thinkers like Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau greatly influenced the world and their writings still hold great relevance for evolving issues. French is a romance language, the language of literature, art, cinema, music, cuisine, fashion, science and medicine.

France is also well connected to the major international rail lines that run through Europe. France is a country full of dramatic geographical variety, from the Alps in the south to the valleys in the north, and it provides an ideal environment for adventurous overseas students to experience new and exciting activities. The mountains provide fantastic skiing in the winter, the beaches on the Mediterranean attract sun worshippers in the summer and the deep valleys and hills are home to France’s numerous vineyards.

Plan a visit to France today! Save on Pimsleur Method French language CDs and downloads.

Aside from France, French is the official language of 22 other countries and it is also the co-official language in countries including Haiti, Madagascar, Switzerland and Luxembourg. In addition to that, it is also the un-official second language of countries such as Canada, Belgium and Switzerland. It is also spoken in some parts of France’s former African colonies like Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Niger and Bénin. Over 75 million people use this language all over the world.

The standards for the French language including its correct pronunciation and language usage all over the world are set by its capital city, Paris. The French people are actually very protective about their language and they formed laws banning the use of non-French words even from official publications and websites.

The standard for French is based on the dialect known as Francien. It has been the official standard language since the mid-16th century. It has greatly replaced other regional dialects of French spoken in northern and central France. French dialects are further subdivided into 5 classifications namely, Central, Northern, Eastern, Western, Southwestern.

Like other languages, the French language also has its own characteristics. A lot of its letters are silent. As a result, pronunciation of the words can differ significantly from its spelling. Many people who try to learn French find that pronunciation is the hardest part to learn due to its new sounds, silent letters and liaisons. When all these factors come together as one, speaking French can be very tricky. Speaking French is more than just familiarization of the vocabulary and grammar rules because the letters need to also be pronounced correctly. Speakers who try to learn this language are not likely to sound like a native unless they learned the language as a child. However, learning how to speak French correctly is not impossible with enough practice and patience and using a good language course like Pimsleur. Some of the other important components of the language are inflection, declination and using grammatical gender. Also, in French, the forms of some words do vary as to how they are used in a sentence. It is quite different than English.

You really can use a second language when looking for jobs, business and travel purposes. French is one of the most useful languages and can be used throughout the world. When choosing a language to study, consider that French is one of the languages that will give you more in what ever you are planning to do.

French

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