Why learn French?
People in the North Country use French in a variety of occupations such as health care, law enforcement, and tourism.
Proficiency in French can be a lucrative advantage in the business world, the sciences, in law and military careers, education, and in any career in the humanities.
Knowledge of a second language has been associated with increased salary, better scores on standardized tests, and even longer life spans.
With more than 30% overlap in vocabluary, French is one of the easiest languages for English-speakers to learn.
This foundation helps learners to pursue other languages, such as Spanish, later on.
The modes of communication
Le français à Gorham
Berlin native says he is successful because he knows French
"I took 4 years of French in high school and 1 year in college (to fulfill my language requirement). My first job out of college did not require a foreign language; but 3 years later, an opening came up at high-tech company in Rochester, NH for an inside sales rep calling into Canada – this did require a working knowledge of French. I had no sales experience, but since I was the only applicant who spoke French, I got the job. And coincidentally, I was replacing another French-speaker who graduated from Berlin High.
About 4 years later, a better opportunity at another company (Sun Microsystems) came up for a French-speaker calling into Canada. Combining my sales experience with French again got me the job.
Years later, Sun was acquired by Oracle. Many sales positions were eliminated, but they still needed a French-speaker for Canada. Again, having the niche of speaking French allowed me to keep my job when many others lost theirs.
In Massachusetts, finding someone who speaks Spanish is pretty easy – but French is more difficult. And since many companies do business in Canada, you need people with at least a working knowledge of French. I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without knowing French."
Mike Fortier, 2016
Philosophy
Language in context
Authentic Resources
Comprehensible Input
Interpersonal
Interpretive
Presentational