Announcements

FROM: Art and Languages Department RE: French is a language for today, but also of the future! Come join us in classes currently offered in elementary French 101 and 102.
Sent:
8/16/2018 9:39:06 AM
To: Students, Faculty, Staff

French is a language for today, but also of the future!  Come join us in classes currently offered in elementary French 101 and 102.  These 3-credit courses can be included as part of your General Education requirements.

 

 

Why study French?  Here are just a few of the reasons:

 

1.  Forbes reports that French is the language of the future, according to a study by Natixis investment bank projecting French will be the “most-spoken language in the world” by 2050.  (Forbes, March 21, 2018 cited by U of Virginia, French Department)

 

2.  French is considered by many experts as the second most useful language in the world for business.  It is spoken on all 5 continents whereas Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are regional.

 

3.  Studying French makes you smarter!  Scientists have begun to show that studying a foreign language can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age. (Sunday Review “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter” by Yudhuit Bhattacharjee, March 17, 2012)

 

4.  French is one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn.  In 1066, William, the French Duke of Normandy conquered England in the Battle of Hastings.  French became the official language of England for a time.  As a result, more than half of current English words come from French—like “avenue”, “university”, “café” “exam”, and are spelled the same or similarly to the French counterparts.

 

Come join us!  For more information, contact Dr. Mary Randall at randall@calu.edu