As you all probably know, the FIFA World Cup will take place from June to July in Germany. Thirty-two countries will compete over the course of one month, and try to follow in the footsteps of Brazil and become the new world champion.
Let's now play a little game. In the list of countries below, pick the odd one out.
France/ Switzerland/ Korea/ Togo
La Francophonie
March 20th is International Francophonie Day. Seen from Korea, the francophone (French speaking) world seems to be very distant, vague and limited to a very few countries. When I ask my students about French-speaking countries, they usually name Canada or Quebec, Switzerland and Belgium; they are really amazed to learn that there are more than 50 French-speaking countries throughout the world!
Actually, a total of 53 countries belong to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), and 29 of these have French as an official language. These countries are scattered on the five continents:
Europe: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Rumania, Luxembourg
Africa: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Congo, Togo, Niger
Asia: Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia
Oceania: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, French Polynesia
America: Haiti, Canada and Quebec, French Guiana, Louisiana
The way French is spoken in each place is obviously very different from one country to another, depending on its status as the mother tongue, the official language or the second language. For example, although French is one of the official languages of Canada, not all 32 million Canadians can speak French; Lebanese Catholics speak Arabic and French. In Egypt, 5% of Egyptians speak French but Arabic is the official language and English is the second language. Most educated people speak French in Rumania and Bulgaria. The 12th Summit of the Francophone World will take place in Bucharest, Rumania, in November this year. Finally, even though Algeria doesn't belong to the OIF, 80% of its population do speak French.
Be Different, Learn French!
Did you know that after English, French is the second most frequently taught foreign language in the world?
In the era of globalization, English is not enough. One should speak at least two languages in addition to their mother tongue.
When someone asks me why he or she should learn French, I'm always tempted to answer: "Because it's a beautiful language." But I'm not sure that this is the best argument for Korean students, so I will just remind you of a few things:
1) Apart from English, French is the only foreign language that can be useful throughout the world as it's a global language spoken by 175 million people on five continents.
2) Along with English, French is the official working language of the United Nations and all the international organizations (UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the European Community, the International Red Cross, etc.). Mr Ban Ki-moon, the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (who could succeed to Kofi Annan as the Secretary-General of the United Nations) speaks French, as does Dr. Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the WHO(World Health Organization).
3) Learning French allows you to become familiar with a different culture and way of thinking. Globalization should not mean "Americanization," and developing and maintaining a sense of cultural diversity is essential.
4) I should also add that if you're willing to continue your studies abroad, you should consider France as an opportunity, because the French education system is very efficient and the tuition fees are very attractive compared to those in the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.
So why not study French? Think about it! And who knows, maybe after having studied French, you will become as famous as actor Lee Byung-Hun who graduated from the French Literature department of Hanyang University.
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Have you found the solution to our little game? In World Cup Group G, the odd country out is Korea because it is the only nation that is not a French-speaking country.
