English speakers who study French can travel anywhere and communicate with others. French is spoken in over 40 countries and is the second most widely studied foreign language in the world. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Newsletter (Winter 1998, Vol. X, Num. 5, p. 20) quotes Language Today on the "ten most influential languages," ranked according to the following criteria: number of primary speakers; number of secondary speakers; number and population of countries using the language; number of major fields (science, etc.) using the language internationally; economic power of countries using the language; and socio-literary prestige. In order of influence, the "top ten" are: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Hindi/Urdu.

2. French will provide access to more than twenty African countries.

French and English are the two most widely spread languages in Africa. Approximately half of the countries in Africa speak French as either a second language or as an official language. Education above the primary level in these countries is primarily in French.

3. French is the most useful language to accomplish the goal of using our foreign-language study to enhance our ability in English.

Studies have proven that foreign-language study results in higher test scores on the ACT and SAT English tests taken by high-school seniors. This is true about all foreign-language study but the pay-off in increased vocabulary will be the greatest when the languages share cognates. Because of the Norman Conquest and the use of French by the English nobility throughout the Middle Ages, French shares far more cognates with English than does any other language.

4. French is a very logical choice when communication is the goal.

One of the chief goals of foreign-language study is to personally experience communication in a foreign language. Because of shared vocabulary, French will allow English-speaking learners to learn to communicate, in both spoken and written form, as rapidly as any other foreign-language.

5. An American should know Spanish and French.

The most widely studied foreign languages in the United States are Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Russian, in that order. Because French and Spanish are both romance languages, a student of one will have a built-in advantage when it comes to learning the other.