Hi, I don't know if I should study French. Some people say that French is in decline.
What do you think about?
What do you think about?
Is French in decline?
Consider French a dead leanguage by the time you become fluent if you start learning it.
You asked the same about Spanish. The same person also gave you the same answer for Spanish.
No, it's not in decline. Just learn it, that's my advice - it's rewarding, and French particularly opens up a whole new world of people with whom you will be able to speak.
No, it's not in decline. Just learn it, that's my advice - it's rewarding, and French particularly opens up a whole new world of people with whom you will be able to speak.
It's disintegrating into tiny bits. You can hear it when you speak to soutern French. Their accent is hard to understand.
Quebecois is also becoming a separate language, and it will be taken over by English eventually.
France needs to make an effort in former French Africa. If they improve the literacy rates and the speaking skills, French language will have more importance in Africa and Worldwide.
I think that former French Africa is the clue (the big area from Morocco to Congo). France should also focus the effort on all other Francophone and Francophile countries.
I think that former French Africa is the clue (the big area from Morocco to Congo). France should also focus the effort on all other Francophone and Francophile countries.
I am not sure. France and French people think sometimes that it is a waste of time promoting French language. You can see in a lot of articles the futility in trying to defend and spread the French language.
A good example,
English pushes aside French as the language of status in Lebanese capital
Lebanon has been particularly affected by the spread of English and the decline of French. The Lebanese can now be said to be in the phase of English- learning, the next phase being the near-total disappearance of French through disuse.
BEIRUT–There's a deal being offered on Mazda automobiles in this freneticMiddle Eastern capital, a city where little stays the same for long. "Turn me on," urges a billboard on Zalka St. in the east end of Beirut. "Zero down payment, 1.99 per cent interest. Limited quantity."
Sounds good – but what is most intriguing about this advertisement is not the nature of the offer. It is the nature of the language in which the offer is being made. The offer is being made in English – and only in English.
The same goes for much, if not most, of the brash outdoor advertising that sprouts like gaudy thickets of mercantilism along the boulevards and avenues of Beirut.
"The Chivas Life." "For Burger Lovers!" "Chicken Your Way." "Sally Hansen Line Freeze for Lips."
Never mind the absence of French – long the language of choice for cultured Lebanese – there isn't even a single Arabic character to be found on most of these signs.
"English is cool," said a Western diplomat in Beirut. "If you're hip and you're young, you speak English."
You do if you are Lebanese.
According to Christian Merville, an editorial writer at L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon's only French-language daily newspaper, English has incontestablement (indisputably) supplanted French as the language of status in this resolutely status-conscious land. Or, as Merville, puts it: "Rambo has replaced Rimbaud."
He's referring, in the first instance, to the action hero played by American Sylvester Stallone in a series of 1980s movie thrillers and, in the second instance, to the mercurial 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
It's a play on words, but the point is clear. English – particularly American English – has muscled French aside in this Mediterranean land,whose capital was once known as le Paris du Moyen-Orient. The Paris of the Middle East.
In many ways, the sobriquet remains apt.
Despite the pummelling it has suffered during a succession of wars, Beirut continues to boast an array of continental charms, including fine restaurants, an exuberant nightlife, a sophisticated café culture, and enduring ties to a certain former imperial power whose capital is the Paris of Europe.
Increasingly, however, when les citoyens et citoyennes of Lebanon converse with the outside world – or even among themselves – they do so in English, not French.
Granted, Arabic remains the sole official tongue of the country properly known as Al-Joumhouriya al-Lubnaniya. But even Arabic is starting to buckle somewhat under the globalizing force of English.
This is Merville's view, anyway. He believes that Arabic speakers in Lebanon increasingly express themselves in an impoverished vocabulary and tired clichés.
"There's a decline in the quality of French," he said, "but there is also an extraordinary decline in Arabic."
Arabic, of course, has been spoken in these lands for millennia. French, however, arrived in the late 19th century, when Jesuit clergy in France sought to counter increasing Protestant influence in the region by dispatching legions of missionaries to the mountainous eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
Following the break-up of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, the territory now called Lebanon became a French protectorate, an arrangement that lasted only a quarter-century. But Parisian influence – linguistic and otherwise – endured long after Lebanon became an independent state in 1946. "Cultured Lebanese were all educated in French-speaking countries," said Ghassan Moukheiber, a Beirut lawyer.
Even families that could not afford to send their children abroad typically dispatched them to local schools where the language of instruction was French, not Arabic.
Explanations vary for the recent ascent of English.
Some observers here – oddly, these individuals tend to be native French speakers – advance the view that English is a "simpler," less challenging tongue than French.
But others note that English and Spanish open more doors nowadays than French ever could. English is the primary language of the Internet, for example, as well as the lingua franca of industrial and commercial globalization.
In Lebanon, as in much of the world, U.S. television and films are a powerful cultural force, easily exceeding the influence of their French counterparts.
At the same time, Lebanese citizens who may be contemplating an international move – as many do – are far more likely to be accepted as immigrants in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada or the United States than they are by France.
"English," said a French-speaking diplomat, "is a lot more useful if you want to go abroad."
The country's large Shia Muslim community, is said to be the sector of Lebanese society most drawn to English, but no group in the country is immune to the economic opportunities or the cultural appeal now associated with the language of – well, of Sylvester Stallone.
Repos dans la paix, Arthur Rimbaud. Rest in peace.
A good example,
English pushes aside French as the language of status in Lebanese capital
Lebanon has been particularly affected by the spread of English and the decline of French. The Lebanese can now be said to be in the phase of English- learning, the next phase being the near-total disappearance of French through disuse.
BEIRUT–There's a deal being offered on Mazda automobiles in this freneticMiddle Eastern capital, a city where little stays the same for long. "Turn me on," urges a billboard on Zalka St. in the east end of Beirut. "Zero down payment, 1.99 per cent interest. Limited quantity."
Sounds good – but what is most intriguing about this advertisement is not the nature of the offer. It is the nature of the language in which the offer is being made. The offer is being made in English – and only in English.
The same goes for much, if not most, of the brash outdoor advertising that sprouts like gaudy thickets of mercantilism along the boulevards and avenues of Beirut.
"The Chivas Life." "For Burger Lovers!" "Chicken Your Way." "Sally Hansen Line Freeze for Lips."
Never mind the absence of French – long the language of choice for cultured Lebanese – there isn't even a single Arabic character to be found on most of these signs.
"English is cool," said a Western diplomat in Beirut. "If you're hip and you're young, you speak English."
You do if you are Lebanese.
According to Christian Merville, an editorial writer at L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon's only French-language daily newspaper, English has incontestablement (indisputably) supplanted French as the language of status in this resolutely status-conscious land. Or, as Merville, puts it: "Rambo has replaced Rimbaud."
He's referring, in the first instance, to the action hero played by American Sylvester Stallone in a series of 1980s movie thrillers and, in the second instance, to the mercurial 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
It's a play on words, but the point is clear. English – particularly American English – has muscled French aside in this Mediterranean land,whose capital was once known as le Paris du Moyen-Orient. The Paris of the Middle East.
In many ways, the sobriquet remains apt.
Despite the pummelling it has suffered during a succession of wars, Beirut continues to boast an array of continental charms, including fine restaurants, an exuberant nightlife, a sophisticated café culture, and enduring ties to a certain former imperial power whose capital is the Paris of Europe.
Increasingly, however, when les citoyens et citoyennes of Lebanon converse with the outside world – or even among themselves – they do so in English, not French.
Granted, Arabic remains the sole official tongue of the country properly known as Al-Joumhouriya al-Lubnaniya. But even Arabic is starting to buckle somewhat under the globalizing force of English.
This is Merville's view, anyway. He believes that Arabic speakers in Lebanon increasingly express themselves in an impoverished vocabulary and tired clichés.
"There's a decline in the quality of French," he said, "but there is also an extraordinary decline in Arabic."
Arabic, of course, has been spoken in these lands for millennia. French, however, arrived in the late 19th century, when Jesuit clergy in France sought to counter increasing Protestant influence in the region by dispatching legions of missionaries to the mountainous eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
Following the break-up of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, the territory now called Lebanon became a French protectorate, an arrangement that lasted only a quarter-century. But Parisian influence – linguistic and otherwise – endured long after Lebanon became an independent state in 1946. "Cultured Lebanese were all educated in French-speaking countries," said Ghassan Moukheiber, a Beirut lawyer.
Even families that could not afford to send their children abroad typically dispatched them to local schools where the language of instruction was French, not Arabic.
Explanations vary for the recent ascent of English.
Some observers here – oddly, these individuals tend to be native French speakers – advance the view that English is a "simpler," less challenging tongue than French.
But others note that English and Spanish open more doors nowadays than French ever could. English is the primary language of the Internet, for example, as well as the lingua franca of industrial and commercial globalization.
In Lebanon, as in much of the world, U.S. television and films are a powerful cultural force, easily exceeding the influence of their French counterparts.
At the same time, Lebanese citizens who may be contemplating an international move – as many do – are far more likely to be accepted as immigrants in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada or the United States than they are by France.
"English," said a French-speaking diplomat, "is a lot more useful if you want to go abroad."
The country's large Shia Muslim community, is said to be the sector of Lebanese society most drawn to English, but no group in the country is immune to the economic opportunities or the cultural appeal now associated with the language of – well, of Sylvester Stallone.
Repos dans la paix, Arthur Rimbaud. Rest in peace.
Chauvinist, mi amigo, French is still on the rise. Only 10 points:
1. There are over 300 non-native French speakers worldwide. There will be over 350 in 2050. (World projection)
2. French is the second most studied language in Spain, Japan, India, Germany, Sweden and US, and other parts of the world not Spanish.
3. French is compulsory subject in Brazil especially in the sytate of Amapa from 2005. In Philippines from 2009.
4. French is official in European Union, Mercosur, African Union, UNASUR (South America), NAFTA (North America), Central American Common Market, CARICOM (Caribbean) and Antarctic Treaty. In NATO is equal with English.
5. French is the second most studied language in the World, after English.
6. There are some 650 million of French speakers speakers. Besides, there are 225 million of Portuguese speakers. If you speak French you can understand over 875 million people around the World.
7. French is the official language in some 55 countries or states in the World.
8. French is second language in Internet, after English in terms of number of links, translation, etc. not in the number of users.
9. French is the third industrial language, after English and Russian.
10. Spanish is a phonetic language. According to several webpages it is the easiest major language for Anglos.
1. There are over 300 non-native French speakers worldwide. There will be over 350 in 2050. (World projection)
2. French is the second most studied language in Spain, Japan, India, Germany, Sweden and US, and other parts of the world not Spanish.
3. French is compulsory subject in Brazil especially in the sytate of Amapa from 2005. In Philippines from 2009.
4. French is official in European Union, Mercosur, African Union, UNASUR (South America), NAFTA (North America), Central American Common Market, CARICOM (Caribbean) and Antarctic Treaty. In NATO is equal with English.
5. French is the second most studied language in the World, after English.
6. There are some 650 million of French speakers speakers. Besides, there are 225 million of Portuguese speakers. If you speak French you can understand over 875 million people around the World.
7. French is the official language in some 55 countries or states in the World.
8. French is second language in Internet, after English in terms of number of links, translation, etc. not in the number of users.
9. French is the third industrial language, after English and Russian.
10. Spanish is a phonetic language. According to several webpages it is the easiest major language for Anglos.
<< Quebecois is also becoming a separate language, and it will be taken over by English eventually. >>
The differences between Metropolitan and other forms of French and Quebecois French are rapidly narrowing thanks to modern means of communication, French Academy and the well disciplined attitudes of Quebecois that they conform to the standard form. Differences arose because the Quebecois were isolated from France from late 8th century until early 20th century.
On the other hand, the differences between the different forms of Spanish in Hispanic America are diverging from one another, from its standard written form, and from Castilian Spanish are rapidly widening despite the advent of modern means of communication, Royal Academy of Spanish, and the lack of discipline with its speakers including those coming from educated classes that they insist in using the bastardized form closer to Papiamento/Chavacano/Chamorro which result in mutilation of the language and eventually break up into numerous new languages.
The differences between Metropolitan and other forms of French and Quebecois French are rapidly narrowing thanks to modern means of communication, French Academy and the well disciplined attitudes of Quebecois that they conform to the standard form. Differences arose because the Quebecois were isolated from France from late 8th century until early 20th century.
On the other hand, the differences between the different forms of Spanish in Hispanic America are diverging from one another, from its standard written form, and from Castilian Spanish are rapidly widening despite the advent of modern means of communication, Royal Academy of Spanish, and the lack of discipline with its speakers including those coming from educated classes that they insist in using the bastardized form closer to Papiamento/Chavacano/Chamorro which result in mutilation of the language and eventually break up into numerous new languages.
It is true than some 300 million of Latin Americans speak Amerindian languages in Francophone Africa, a big area where over 200 million speak perfect French as secondary language.
At least 15 million of them are first language speakers of French. So, perhaps, hardly 50 million of Francophone Africans don't speak French.
Spanish would like this situation for Hispanic America. There, people speak their native language Spanish and most of them speak Papiamento/Chavacano/Chamorro like Spanishes (90-99% of the population). The situation is the opposite.
At least 15 million of them are first language speakers of French. So, perhaps, hardly 50 million of Francophone Africans don't speak French.
Spanish would like this situation for Hispanic America. There, people speak their native language Spanish and most of them speak Papiamento/Chavacano/Chamorro like Spanishes (90-99% of the population). The situation is the opposite.
Vous n'avez pas idée de foutre ce que vous parlez. Le français langue française parfaitement comprendre le «formel» dans les journaux ou la télévision.
Frnces En ce qui concerne le secteur «informel» ou le jargon des différents pays, nous coûterait manqué deux jours pour apprendre les différents mots utilisés dans d'autres pays.
En comparant les gouvernements espagnol, français et anglais, sans doute le français est la plus uniforme de tous les discours, car la langue est claire et précise.
Frnces En ce qui concerne le secteur «informel» ou le jargon des différents pays, nous coûterait manqué deux jours pour apprendre les différents mots utilisés dans d'autres pays.
En comparant les gouvernements espagnol, français et anglais, sans doute le français est la plus uniforme de tous les discours, car la langue est claire et précise.
French is compulsory in Brazil?
I beg to differ.
Amapá is a small state in the north of Brazil with a population of about 615,000. It borders on French Guiana so logically it should offer French as a secondary language.
But in most of Brazil, particularly the economic, cultural and media powerhouse that are the South and South-East regions where most of the population is concentrated, Spanish and English are the secondary languages on offer.
I beg to differ.
Amapá is a small state in the north of Brazil with a population of about 615,000. It borders on French Guiana so logically it should offer French as a secondary language.
But in most of Brazil, particularly the economic, cultural and media powerhouse that are the South and South-East regions where most of the population is concentrated, Spanish and English are the secondary languages on offer.
You stupid ignorant!
Before English and Spanish were in Brazil, French was and it's still compulsory there.
I heard lots of Brazilians much like their Portuguese cousins speak in French in International gatherings, seldom in English and NEVER in Spanish.
Before English and Spanish were in Brazil, French was and it's still compulsory there.
I heard lots of Brazilians much like their Portuguese cousins speak in French in International gatherings, seldom in English and NEVER in Spanish.
The Brazil language, known as Portuguese is rather unique in that Brazil is the only country in South America to use it. Although Portuguese is the main language of Brazil, there are many other languages that are also spoken there. English and French are two of the other main languages even though, obrigado Brazil shows some influence of the Asian languages. Portuguese being the national language, dates back to when Portugal ruled over Brazil.