Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 23708564 United States 07/02/2013 07:34 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds It is a pity Americans basically reject other languages. Many/most Europeans and other areas in the world, can speak several languages, including English. |
arkadiy User ID: 42689786 Russia 07/02/2013 07:38 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Serious question, some french people might get pissed at me for saying I don't think their language is worth learning, but they will have to deal with it. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 42638820 Have 3 kids, one is 3 and is going to be starting kindergarten not this year but the next. There is an option where to leave to send her to an elementary school, within the same school district where they will be taught completely in french. They don't start English lessons until the third grade. The schools advises parents to read to, and have the children read in English EVERYDAY however so they obviously will not be stunted in their native language development (If I am going to go through with this I will be hiring an english language tutor for private lessons) Then in middle school they are integrated with the other elementary schools but they are able to take advanced french classes as part of their program. And then obviously in high school they have the AP french classes and what not. I love this idea, this is a called a total immersion program. I think it is great for children's development to be coursed so well in a second language. It will literally be like having two native languages, not just able to speak or listen but have a full grasp of the entire language. The ONLY problem I have with the program is that it is for French... outside of Francophile culture loving and literature, I absolutely see no use for this language. If this were a Spanish, Mandarin, or even a German program I would fully support it. Actually probably even Portuguese because of Brazil or even Angola on the rise. I just don't see how the sacrifice of literally learning in a foreign language for the first 6 years of your education is worth it if the language is not worth learning from a economic and geopolitical stand point. So my children will speak and write in French perfectly, wow, so what are they goign to do with that being American? Move to france and have 75% of their wages taxed by the government? No thanks.. French is even dying in Canada. Immigrants don't learn French, they learn English. And Quebec's attempts at saving it are going to fail. Any help with this? My wife is in love with the idea, but I suspect it is more of a romantic notion than a practical one... Better to start with Russian. It is actually very sofisticated language, and it increases brain level alot. And Russian culture are bigger then French. Then go to Latin. This is the way to open science and cultural basis to Western Civilisation. And French language are dying, 10 years ahead therу will be arabic as second State language in France. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 42682465 United States 07/02/2013 07:53 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds It's the path of least resistance for Americans. Why learn another language? Most never leave the States. If we do, what, for a few weeks? So, spend all that time and effort to order food? Europe is a different matter. Learning another language is almost a necessity if you plan on traveling a couple hundred miles in any direction! |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31381689 Netherlands 07/02/2013 08:04 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 42419039 France 07/02/2013 08:16 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds I grew up bilingual. I now speak six languages and can muddle through many more if they're in the same language groups. It may not be the case in Minnesota, but in places like New York there are often well-paying, hard-to-fill jobs available for people who speak the less popular languages like French and German. We can never predict where we will end up in life and languages simply give us more options. Once you've learned French it becomes easy to learn Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Italian and Romanian. I met a couple in Spain who were both educated in a language other than Spanish; the wife went to a school taught by Irish nuns and the husband went to a French school where all subjects were taught in French and Spanish language and grammar was just one of the subjects. He told me that when they sat for national exams (all in Spanish) the pupils from his school got some of the highest scores--even in Spanish grammar! He was also one of the fastest English students I had ever had. He had to learn it fast because he had been hired by an American company and he simply sailed through the beginner's English book. There are English people here in France who emigrated with their children who then became bilingual. As adults, some of these kids went back to the UK and got great jobs due to their complete familiarity with spoken and written French as well as an understanding of the French way of doing things. Canada demands bilingualism even in predominantly Anglophone provinces outside Quebec. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31948267 Poland 07/02/2013 08:20 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 32020839 Italy 07/02/2013 08:29 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Maybe once Africa will start to become center of economy in the next 10/20 years at least, French could be useful to use in colonies. But actually africans are learning chinese so go for CHINESE, folowed by russian,spanish and arabic. Then if you are looking for languages that shape the brain to be lernt at small age. Indi or Italian Indi for mathematic and computer/science and italian for problem solving and free thinking |
Wiseguy User ID: 42301611 Canada 07/02/2013 08:48 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Spanish is a good entrance for South America, California (soon) and a few Europe countries. French use to be an elite language in the 19th century when Paris was the place to be seen for intellectuals and artists but not anymore. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73649378 United States 12/22/2016 03:38 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Serious question, some french people might get pissed at me for saying I don't think their language is worth learning, but they will have to deal with it. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 42638820 Have 3 kids, one is 3 and is going to be starting kindergarten not this year but the next. There is an option where to leave to send her to an elementary school, within the same school district where they will be taught completely in french. They don't start English lessons until the third grade. The schools advises parents to read to, and have the children read in English EVERYDAY however so they obviously will not be stunted in their native language development (If I am going to go through with this I will be hiring an english language tutor for private lessons) Then in middle school they are integrated with the other elementary schools but they are able to take advanced french classes as part of their program. And then obviously in high school they have the AP french classes and what not. I love this idea, this is a called a total immersion program. I think it is great for children's development to be coursed so well in a second language. It will literally be like having two native languages, not just able to speak or listen but have a full grasp of the entire language. The ONLY problem I have with the program is that it is for French... outside of Francophile culture loving and literature, I absolutely see no use for this language. If this were a Spanish, Mandarin, or even a German program I would fully support it. Actually probably even Portuguese because of Brazil or even Angola on the rise. I just don't see how the sacrifice of literally learning in a foreign language for the first 6 years of your education is worth it if the language is not worth learning from a economic and geopolitical stand point. So my children will speak and write in French perfectly, wow, so what are they goign to do with that being American? Move to france and have 75% of their wages taxed by the government? No thanks.. French is even dying in Canada. Immigrants don't learn French, they learn English. And Quebec's attempts at saving it are going to fail. Any help with this? My wife is in love with the idea, but I suspect it is more of a romantic notion than a practical one... Another anti-French bigot. What a shock. |
Undestroyer Truth User ID: 73368284 United States 12/22/2016 04:01 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Who do you want to communicate with? French is similar to other Latin based languages and learning it will enhance your overall language comprehension... Even in English. Just my two cents. You cannot destroy my vision when you see my vision undestroyed because I am just an undestroyer. Thread: Food Combining Made Easy by Herbert Shelton a progenitor from the Natural Hygienist Movement "I am a hunter of peace, one who chases the elusive mayfly of love... errr something like that." -Vash the Stampede |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73639700 United Kingdom 12/22/2016 04:14 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73649570 Rwanda 12/22/2016 04:36 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds German is very easy to learn for Americans, as English is based on German. The 2 languages while sounding very different are actually so similar that it takes only a matter of weeks to learn German. About half of the words are the same as in English. French is also similar to German and English, so knowing both languages makes it easier to learn French. But French is a very hard language to learn, the pronunciation is very hard, there are lots of special characters in the alphabet, the grammar doesn't make any sense. I studied it for years in high school and can't speak, only read. French is useful in Africa, as half of the continent speaks it. I was in RDC recently and wished my French was good, as few people know English there. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73616315 France 12/22/2016 04:56 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Serious Question. Is the French language worth learning? I don't think it is, my wife however does. I think it is because of the way it sounds Otherwise, below some quotes about French language after a quick search: “Boy, those French! They have a different word for everything.” Steve Martin “Speak in French when you can’t think of the English for a thing-- turn your toes out when you walk--- And remember who you are!” Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass French is a language that makes those who speak it both calm and dynamic. Author: Bernard Pivot If French is no longer the language of a power, it can be the language of a counter power. Author: Lionel Jospin The genius of the French language, descended from its single Latin stock, has triumphed most in the contrary direction - in simplicity, in unity, in clarity, and in restraint. Author: Lytton Strachey The French, it seems to me, strike a happy balance between intimacy and reserve. Some of this must be helped by the language, which lends itself to graceful expression even when dealing with fairly basic subjects.... And there's that famously elegant subtitle from a classic Western.COWBOY: "Gimme a shot of red-eye."SUBTITLE: "Un Dubonnet, s'il vous plait."No wonder French was the language of diplomacy for all those years. Author: Peter Mayle You get the feeling that many of my guests feel that the French language gives them entry into a more cultivated, more intelligent world, more highly civilised too, with rules. Bernard Pivot I love the French language... it's a delightful language, especially to curse with. It's like whopping your ass with silk. Oscar Wilde One thing I can say about the French language is that no one in the world loves their language as much as they do. Mads Mikkelsen A French politician once wrote that it was a peculiarity of the French language that in it words occur in the order in which one thinks them. Ludwig Wittgenstein To achieve the very pinnacle of good taste, the neoclassicists wrote their plays entirely in alexandrine verse, a rarefied meter that is uniquely tailored to the French language and fits no other. Florence King In the French language, there is a great gulf between prose and poetry; in English, there is hardly any difference. It is a splendid privilege of the great literary languages Greek, Latin, and French that they possess a prose. English has not this privilege. There is no prose in English. Victor Hugo French is the language that turns dirt into romance. Stephen King For me, French is so rich and so sacred that learning it is like learning a foreign language. Fabrice Luchini Italian is the language of song. German is good for philosophy and English for poetry. French is best at precision; it has a rigour to it. Maurice Druon German poetry is going in a very different direction from French poetry.... Its language has become more sober, more factual. It distrusts "beauty." It tries to be truthful. Paul Celan |