Economic globalization implies a tendency towards homogeneity and uniformity. In this sense, globalization goes hand in hand with the English language.
Once, the French language had its golden era with territorial conquest and an aura of enlightenment, diplomacy and law. Today, across the world, 264.1 million people speak/study French, according to the Ministry of Foreign Relations of France.
French is a Romance language with a very pleasant sound system. Its writing system uses five diacritics (´ ` ^ ¨ ç) and two ligatures (æ œ). Some consider French to be the language of love since the sound system makes everything sound romantic. There are variations in accent in different regions, so if you’ve studied in Paris you might not understand people in Marseille. But, the French people generally appreciate the effort made by tourists to speak their language.
The Académie Française is the regulatory body for the use of the French language, which regulates spelling and grammar, just like the Real Academia Española does for the Spanish language.
Traditionally, French has enjoyed prestige due to its association with culture, especially the arts. In order validate competency of the French language, there are several exams: DELF Diplôme d’études en langue française, DALF Diplôme approfondi de la langue française, TCF Test de connaissance du français, TEF Test d’évaluation de français, CFP Certificat de français professionnel, as well as certificates from Alliance Française and universities.
À tout à l’heure !!!
