Why choosing French as a foreign language would be beneficial to an Indian student
There are some 80 French companies whose subsidiaries are headquartered in Tamil Nadu itself, and the rest of the country has plenty more. Learning French, therefore, has an advantage as it can provide employment.
By Dr C. Jayanthi
Benefits of learning French language
I teach French on and off as a foreign language in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. They also have an option of Korean and German among other languages.
So, why do top institutions of higher education around the country offer foreign languages? Very obviously because it is useful. If an aspiring technocrat gets a job, say, in a Korean company, it will be useful for him to understand common parlance in that language or even read a letter. It will be useful also for the company to hire a candidate with prior knowledge of Korean. Same goes for other foreign companies such as French and German.
I taught French language, literature and pedagogy at Loyola College a while back. I found it fairly popular among youngsters. As few people in India know a foreign language, it helps in securing a job fairly easily especially in the domains of tourism, teaching, translation with dot.com companies or interpretation. For students who are not interested in a long-drawn-out career, and are looking for a job that provides immediate employment, learning a foreign language such as French is a good choice. So, this is the other end of the spectrum, and whichever way you look at it, you stand to gain.
If you look at a language from a social or cultural perspective, there is plenty there to learn. If, for example, you learnt French language, you get to learn and situate it in its own cultural perspective. You learn a European language, which has a certain history and a certain evolution. For instance, French evolved from an oral tradition into a deep written tradition and a lot of work was done by writers including borrowing from Greek words to make the French language the sophisticated language it is today. You also that this language lays emphasis on sounds, and therefore is a melodious, soft language. You learn about the famous bubbling, sparkling white wine, Champagne that is produced in France and sold the world over. You learn about Paris, the capital of France, the most visited city in the world, and the famous Eiffel Tower bang in the middle of the city of Paris. You also learn about the French revolution and the fact that France gave the Republic to the world. The Royalty was overthrown in France in 1789 to establish the rule of the people, by the people, for the people, and therefore, the birth of modern nations.
The French society is a liberal one where human weakness is acknowledged, whereas Indian society is one where a human being is expected to be strong and disciplined. These values that you learn at a personal level, help you relook the values that you have learnt.
Learning French is useful as you learn about Hi-fashion, perfumes, cheese, world renowned films, the famous Tour de France cycle competition among other things. France was the first country to have the metro, underground trains that ply all over Paris, and now we have them in India too. The French coined the term Metro. The hypermarket or supermarkets that are so much a part of modern life evolved in France first, and the French say, we gave the world, the hypermarkets.
We also get to know that the Alliance Française has 12 outlets and the largest network outside of France in India to propagate their language in this country. The Alliance Française offers students scholarships to go and study in France.
The French have developed methods of teaching French as a foreign language from the second World War, and it has evolved from then on.
Books called manuals for teaching French as a foreign language are developed in Centre for Teaching French as a foreign language (CIEP) in France and distributed all over the world. These highlight current methods for teaching French which amalgamate both written and spoken French. You now have “levels” in French called A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. There are certificates issued if you pass each level. These courses and certifications are offered by the Alliance Française anywhere in the world. If you pass an A1 certificate, let’s say, in India, then it is valid anywhere in the world. So then, that is the advantage of learning French.
Interestingly, French cuisine is famous all over the world, and has evolved over years. There are Michelin star chefs who offer French cuisine in restaurants all over the world.
There are some 80 French companies whose subsidiaries are headquartered in Tamil Nadu itself, and the rest of the country has plenty more. Learning French, therefore, has an advantage as it can provide employment.
France and India have colonial links. Puducherry, a union territory in southern India was colonised by France, so also Karaikal and Mahe/ Chandonagar in West Bengal was a French outpost. These links serve as heritage, and one finds that there is already a certain history of teaching French as a foreign language in India, especially in the South. In the capital of India, New Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Languages offers French among other foreign languages and it is a well-known centre. Apart from this, several universities across the country offer in-depth French courses at BA, MA and Ph D levels. All these courses are funded by the UGC and offer livelihood to many students.
When I was a student in JNU’s school of foreign languages, I came across several Russian students learning Hindi, they would speak Hindi but like a book, so it used to sound odd. So, you realize that spoken and written language have evolved in different ways and have been enriched by a culture of everyday life, especially the spoken tongue.
Even as a tourist, if you travel abroad, it is nice to use the language in however, minimum a way as possible. French is also considered a glamourous language that people all over the world wish to learn. It is a tool that cements international relations.
About the Author:
Dr C Jayanthi
Dr C Jayanthi has done her doctorate in Indo-French bilateral relations, and currently teaches French as Guest Faculty in the Humanities Department, IIT Madras, Chennai.
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