France still governs so many overseas departments, regions, territories and collectivities that just within its legal parameters the French language touches almost every corner of the planet. Take into account all 32 countries where French is an official language and you have French-speakers on every major continent, even Antarctica. With an estimated 900,000 French teachers worldwide, French is undoubtedly a culturally and linguistically relevant language.
There are many theories on language acquisition, but no matter which one you give credence to, the transformative power of learning a new language is indisputable. No matter the dialect, learning a second language advances knowledge, engenders cultural empathy, embraces diversity, fosters community, and opens the mind of its learners.
To learn a new language one must develop four very distinct skills - writing, reading, speaking and listening. This holistic practice of learning a new language translates seamlessly to advancement in other subjects. Reading French articles and poems and texts, for example, promotes a development of literacy and reading comprehension not just in French, but also in students’ native languages. Learning a language inherently and undeniably advances knowledge.
Foreign languages exist not in a vacuum, but within distinct cultural contexts. Learning a new language introduces students to these customs and communities, and new awareness of the rich histories and varied possibilities of social structures engender cultural empathy. Learning about new cultures necessitates acceptance of diversity and compels students to recognize that two very different populations may exist and thrive simultaneously.
Language is, quite simply put, our ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication, and communication implies contact with people other than ourselves. We developed language to express our desires to others, and language has thus been vital to the foundation of community. In order to develop the speaking and listening skills required to master a new language, one must communicate with others. Partner and ensemble work is essential. Close-knit groups in a class or school often result from the constant interaction between those who share common interests and identities, but developing relationships within a community at large, such as within the greater Francophone world, is also a natural extension of this process. Community is thus absolutely integral to language acquisition on both a local and a global scale.
Above all else, learning a new language opens the minds of those who learn it. In order to acquire a language we must understand words that are a bit beyond our current level of competence, meaning we must learn not to be deterred by concepts we might not fully grasp. In a language course, students are exposed to concepts they do not understand on a daily basis; this habitual challenge familiarizes them with facing the unknown. An openness to seeing two versions of the same concept, vocabulary in both languages, for example, provides depth and perspective and fosters a willingness to accept additional layers of complexity later on.
Learning a new language is significant and accessible for all learners across the board. Using multiple learning styles and programs and teaching using a variety of hands-on learning techniques, every student can be engaged with language through an aspect that they relate to – theater, music, art, cinema, cultural studies, writing, grammar – the list goes on and on because language encompasses all aspects of life.
France is an official language in the following countries:
- Belgium
- Benin
- Burkina
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- France
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Monaco
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Switzerland
- Togo
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
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