Which is the second most important language?

Mitch   Wed May 02, 2007 6:22 pm GMT
Lafayette, you're right. I also didn't mention that although Spanish is quite useful for business in the U.S., there are a lot of American or American-based companies advertising jobs requiring French language skills. (And French is overwhelmingly more useful than Spanish for business outside the Western Hemisphere.)

Also, French is second to Spanish for foreign language study in the U.S. (French still enjoys a certain prestige in certain segments of both Americans and Latin Americans.) And surprisingly, more DVDs offer a French language track in region 1--U.S. and Canada--probably because of the Quebec market. So even in the Western Hemisphere, you have access to French, despite the status of Spanish.
Guest   Wed May 02, 2007 7:53 pm GMT
That´s right. But it is spoken by minorities in this areas. In all the Americas, French is spoken only by 10 million people.

Spanish is spoken in the Americas by 410 million people, ONLY 400 MILLION PEOPLE MORE. The difference is important.
Guest   Thu May 03, 2007 10:26 pm GMT
If you count only two languages, the situation is this:

- North America: English and Spanish

- South America: Spanish and Portuguese

- Europe (including former USSR): English and Russian (including second language speakers).

- Africa: Arabic and Hausa

- Asia-Pacific: Chinese and Hindi.


Only English and Spanish are twice.
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 6:20 am GMT
<< - Africa: Arabic and Hausa >>

Arabic and Hausa is unknown in Southern Africa. French is the most useful langauage in Africa, Sam.
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 8:03 am GMT
The two most spoken languages in Africa are Arabic and Hausa.
furrykef   Fri May 04, 2007 8:14 am GMT
Africa is a very big region spanning many countries (and languages), you know...
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 11:22 am GMT
The most useful language in Africa is French!
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 11:57 am GMT
French is a highly learnt language in the Middle-Eastern countries, as a cultured / posh language. But in contrast, in many African countries it's the intermediary language (lingua franca) of its inhabitants. Meanwhile in Europe it's occasionally used as the language of diplomacy.
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:05 pm GMT
French is the Official languages of many African countries. Those countries even prohibit the use of native languages in broadcasting.

In the US, French is required in secondary schools while Spanish is not. But in College it's one of the languages that are offered along with Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese and so on. Spanish is surpass only French in foreign language schools.
furrykef   Fri May 04, 2007 12:13 pm GMT
> In the US, French is required in secondary schools while Spanish is not.

You sure about that? I was in high school from 1999-2002 and I never had to take a French course. We had to take three years of a foreign language (and it had to be the same language for those years), but we could make our own choice. I ended up choosing Spanish, which is largely responsible for my interest in the Spanish language today. I just wish I enjoyed it then as much as I do now.

- Kef
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:18 pm GMT
In the US, French is required in secondary schools while Spanish is not.

This is a dubious assumption concerning the importance of Spanish in the Hispanic communites / cities / states. That is to say...California, Nevada, Washington, New-mexico, Texas, Florida, New-york, Illinois and Arizona is where you would find Spanish being taught in Secondary schools as a primary choice.
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:20 pm GMT
It's not an assuption, it's a fact. Why don't you ask a real yankee from the US.

Did you mean doubtful assumption?
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:24 pm GMT
No, I meant dubious. Doubtful and Dubious stem from the same source, with minimal significant meanings. Ulitmately From Latin "dubius"
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:31 pm GMT
Have you seen the movie "The Craft"?

There's a seen in a high school class there where the subject they were attending was French.

The dialog went on like this

Student 1: We're in California and we're supposed to study Mexican (instead of French).

Student 2: It's Spanish not Mexican.
Guest   Fri May 04, 2007 12:38 pm GMT
Spanish is in a way, the second unoffical language of the States. It's practically spoken everywhere in the metropolitan areas of the U.S.A.

French in America is mostly viewed as a cultured / posh language to
learn.