May 04 2008
Why should you learn how to speak French?
Why learn how to speak French when “everybody” speaks English?
French (le français, la langue française-the French language-) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered only by Spanish language and Portuguese language. In 1999 the French language was the 11th most spoken language in the world being spoken by about 77 million people (called Francophones-speak French) as a mother tongue, and by 128 million altogether including second French language speakers. It is an official or administrative language in various communities and organizations (such as the European Union, IOC, United Nations and Universal Postal Union).
Why learn French spelling during a French Course?
French spelling is by no means phonetic. Terminal consonants have often become silent in most French dialects, unless followed by a vowel sound (liaison) or silent altogether (e.g., “et” is never pronounced with the ending “t”). In many words, the “n” and “m” become silent and cause the preceding vowel to become nasalized (i.e. pronounced with the soft palate extended downward so as to cause the air to leave through the nostrils instead of through the mouth). Furthermore, in the French language French words tend to run together when spoken, with ending consonants often being chained to the start of the next word.
Where to learn how to speak French in France?
You can find some schools in France giving French Courses following the links on my page. Since Europe is not that cheap for us Malaysians, I will add some more websites that teach French worldwide.
How to speak French from the comfort of your own home!
Study French at home and let a native French teacher visit you online! Of course this is best done at Learn French or you can join the Asian French friends finder (which will be replaced soon by our new Asian Online Dating site) : both sites have lots of French friends you can talk to in the French language, helping you to learn French.
