QDS: Introduction

La quête de soi

Bienvenue dans le monde francophone!

The French language in the world
World map showing French-speaking countries highlighted in blue, with the text "The Francophone World."

The French language in the world:

  • Dark Blue: Regions where French is the main language
  • Blue: Regions where it is an official language
  • Light Blue: Regions where it is a second language
  • Green: Regions where it is a minority language

The following things have been changed:

  • Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are no longer colored in light blue. This is because the population of French speakers is declining.
  • Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have been colored light blue because French is widely used.
  • The Western Sahara has been colored light blue due to the increased use of French there.
  • A green square has been added in London to recognize the French-speaking minority there.

By aaker (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Introduction

Did you know that French is spoken by more than 150 million people as a mother tongue and as a second language around the world?  

To compare, English is spoken by about 800 million people, Spanish by 500 million and Mandarin by more than 950 million.   Despite what might seem like a small population of speakers, French is an important diplomatic language and has a strong presence around the globe and in international business and politics.  

French is the official language in 29 countries and is also one of the official languages of the European Council and a working language for many international organizations such as the Red Cross.

What are the benefits of learning a language?

Learning a language is not just about memorizing lists of words. Learning a new language means learning a new way to communicate, to present yourself and your ideas, and becoming familiar with different perspectives. While you learn about other cultures and traditions, you will also be boosting your brainpower and discovering new things about your own language. Studies have shown that students that have studied additional languages have higher scores on standardized tests and on average have better earning potential over the course of a career. To read more about benefits and see the long lists of studies, check out the links in the sidebar.

Essential Questions

  • How do you greet people and say goodbye?
  • How do you introduce yourself and others?
  • How do you ask other people about themselves?
  • How do you express likes and dislikes?

Key Terms

French I Standards

Attribution: unless otherwise noted,  all images used within this module are used with permission from clipart.com Links to an external site.