Posts Tagged ‘advent of the internet’

It used to be that you had two choices for learning French – go to a night course or buy very expensive (and quite boring) sets of tapes to Learn French at home. Times change though, and now with the advent of the internet and the home PC you have a huge number of choices for French home study courses.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’ve got nothing against French text books. There are some very good ones about that use modern teaching methods and patterns of learning that your brain naturally adopts. They’re much better than when I was a kid and I’ve bought quite a few.

But they can’t compete with modern CDs and the interactive programs that are available. A book can’t really talk to you. You can’t hear a French accent from a book. A French book can pose some questions, but it can’t actually react to your answers, correct you and then give you the opportunity to revise your newly learned French phrase or move on to a new one.

The interactive French teaching software available today can do exactly that. In fact it can do more. Some of them supply French MP3 files that can not only be played on your PC but can also be transferred to your MP3 player or a CD so you have portable French language lessons as well. Obviously you don’t get the full benefit of interactivity your computer will give you, but you can listen in the car, on the train, jogging, whatever takes your fancy – and you didn’t pay any extra for it, it’s all part of the system.

I am generalizing to an extent, of course. Not all interactive French courses are the same, just like not all French CDs or French books are the same. In general, however, they offer a level of ‘playability’ which is more involving and more entertaining and thus educates more quickly and with more retention than a book ever could. I love to sit down and read a good story with a book in my hands, but if I need to learn something like the French language, give me my PC and a software program any day.

If there’s a downside at all, it’s price. Now it’s not possible for me to check every program to learn French at home but the ones I’ve found that do what I want them to – which is teaching French to a reasonable degree of competence and confidence – are considerably more expensive than a $20 book. Having said that, they’re not what I’d call expensive either, considering what you can get from them.

Rocket French for example has MP3 files and interactive lessons for grammar, words, French verbs (quite a complicated area if you’re an English speaker by birth). It also has hundreds, if not thousands, of text files for further reference and the whole lot comes in at around $100. If I was looking to learn French at home, that’s exactly the sort of thing I’d be investing in.

Author: Dennis Cordy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The ability to communicate in a foreign language such as French has never been more important or useful than it is today. Overseas travel, particularly to France and Europe, is now commonplace for many companies, particularly since the advent of the Internet which has opened up a whole new global marketplace, like never before. In addition more and more people are discovering the importance of being able to understand the language, in order to make the most of an impending holiday.

French is the 11th most common first language in the world, with millions of speakers around the globe. Some studies tell us that there are:

• 113 million people who speak French as a native or adopted language fluently and used it on a regular basis,
• 61 million people who speak French occasionally, and
• 100-110 million students who learn French.

French also plays an important role in a number of international organizations where it is one the main language spoken or interpreted to members, including:

• Amnesty International
• International Olympic Committee
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Red Cross
• United Nations
• World Trade Organization

So despite its prominence in the world, for you, there are all kinds of reasons to learn French. When you learn to speak French you are able to increase the level of understanding you have with other French speakers. In fact, when you learn French language skills you can improve communication both orally and in writing, which will improve both day to day conversation when you travel and also if you are trying to negotiate a business agreement.

Speaking French is also a skill which will increase your marketability because employers often prefer candidates who speak one or more languages. The global economy depends on communication in other languages including French and this can place ahead of other candidates when vying for a role.

Author: Mukil Krishnasamy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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