The French language, or La langue de Molière as the French call it, is one of the most impressive and elegant of all languages. It is the language of class and culture and has an iconic status across the world. It is not one of the most commonly spoken, however, and this adds to its charm and mysterious quality. It is spoken by around 200 million people and is the international language of diplomacy.
The French language is a romance language and is thus descended from vulgar Latin. It is part of this branch in the tree of languages and is quite different to English. Although we share many words with the French and have a good number of cognates, our language does not come from Latin. This is why many people may find it difficult to understand and speak French at first, as it does take some getting used to.
Once you get used to the word order and pronunciation, you will be up, up and away. Pronunciation of the French language differs from that of English in a few ways. The letters are of course pronounced differently, but French words are not stressed unless they have an accent. This can be difficult, but is easy to master.
Many parts of French grammar and verb usage are different to English and this can be a challenge at first, but there are many rewards to be had if you are one of the few people who learn to speak French. French is a language that has given us much great literature and it is the uncontested king of literature in terms of the great masterpieces that have been written in the French language.
The great playwrights of Molière, Racine and Corneille paved the way for the age of enlightenment in the 18th century with the phenomenal Rousseau and Voltaire. The French have always produced fantastic literature from these early master classes right through to the modern works of Camus and Sartre. The French literary success hasn’t halted in the 21st century, either, with fantastic books such as L’élégance du Hérisson or Ensemble C’est Tout.
The French language is one of the most iconic and fashionable in the world. It is such a shame that learning a language can be difficult at times and it’s a crying shame that there aren’t a few more French speakers around. If you are one of these people then I would urge you to try the language for yourself. It is a great tool for life in many respects and is also very alluring to the opposite sex.
If you want to learn a language, then I would recommend the French language for a variety of reasons. It is much easier to learn than the oriental languages and it still has a modern influence. It is a modern and relevant language, yet is still cultured and sophisticated. The language of Molière is alive and as impressive as ever, so let’s not let it die out.
