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The Language of Love - 2

The document provides information about the French language including its origin from Latin, where it is spoken, how many speakers it has, examples of French literature, the challenges of translation, pronunciation, common phrases, and music. It discusses how French evolved from Latin and Gaulish after the Roman conquest, is now spoken in 29 countries, and may have up to 700 million speakers by 2050. It also gives examples of famous French authors and a translated version of a song.

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94 views11 pages

The Language of Love - 2

The document provides information about the French language including its origin from Latin, where it is spoken, how many speakers it has, examples of French literature, the challenges of translation, pronunciation, common phrases, and music. It discusses how French evolved from Latin and Gaulish after the Roman conquest, is now spoken in 29 countries, and may have up to 700 million speakers by 2050. It also gives examples of famous French authors and a translated version of a song.

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Language of Love

A Presentation by Anum Azhar, Saleha Zeeshan, Ameena


Ameer, Rahimeen Faisal, and Amn Zain-ul-Abidin
What is French?
 French is a Romance language spoken by about 354 million
people. It is the third most spoken language in Europe, after
German and English.
French is the second most widely learned foreign language after
English, and the fifth most widely spoken language in the
world, so it is learned as a second language.
Origin of French
Modern-day France and Belgium were once included in an ancient region of Western
Europe known as Gaul.
When Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the Gaulish
language (which was a Celtic language) came under attack-hence the true meaning of a
‘Romance language’ as “to speak in Roman fashion.”
Latin superseded Gaulish to become the region’s predominant language - and to progress up
the social ladder, citizens had to learn and fully embrace it.
While the French language has been distinct enough from Latin to be viewed as its own
language since the 9th century, the Latin roots are still very much there. It is thanks to these
roots that English speakers may feel they enjoy a head-start in learning to speak French. 
Where is it spoken?
French is an official language in 29 countries, of which: 13 where French is
the only official language: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, France, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Monaco, Niger,
Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Togo.
French is the second most widely learned foreign language after English, and
the fifth most widely spoken language in the world, so it is learned as a
second language.
It is also widely spoken in Canada, due to the colonizers.
How many speakers?
About 300 million. Within the 300 million are not only native speakers, but also partial
speakers and speakers of numerous French dialects
Through colonization, French is the sixth most widely spoken language  in the world,
following Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic. After English:
120 million students are currently learning French. Atop the 220 million native
speakers in the world, there are an estimated 72 million partial speakers, and these
numbers are increasing. Owing to population growth in Africa, where
approximately 50% of native French speakers live, the total number of French
speakers could rise to as much as 700 million by 2050, according to demographers.
French Literature
French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an impressive
facet of French civilization, an object of national pride. A high proportion of
European literary trends have originated in France. The continuing prestige of
literature in France is evidenced today by the innumerable private societies devoted
to individual authors and by the large number of literary prizes awarded each year.
A knowledge of French literature, in short, is the key to an understanding of the
French people.
France still holds the world record for the most Nobel Prizes for Literature
Gustave Flaubert: the father of literary realism, Madame Bovary
Charles Baudelaire Les Fleurs du mal (“The Flowers of Evil”)
Translation
The reality is that, while translating software is helpful, it is not perfect and should not
replace learning any new language yourself. If you rely on machine translation to
switch between French and English (and vice versa), you may find yourself at the
losing end of a conversation.
Language is simply too complicated for machines. While a computer may be
programmed with a database of words, it is impossible for it to understand all of the
vocabulary, grammar, context, and nuances in the source and target languages.
Technology is improving, but the fact is that machine translation will never offer more
than a general idea about what a text says. When it comes to translation, a machine
simply cannot take the place of a human.
Pronunciation
R: To pronounce it, you’ll want to use your throat. Go after it like you’re
trying to gargle.
U: To pronounce it, pronounce “ee” in English and hold it out, then round
your lips.
O: Say the word boot and hold out the open o sound. Watch your mouth and,
sure enough, you’ll find that with the open o, your mouth is more open.
L: L is pronounced like a Y.
A: It is usually pronounced more or less like the 'A' in "father,“
Everyday things we say…
• Bonjour – “Hello”
•  S'il vous plaît / s'il te plaît – “Please”
• Celui-Dont-On-Ne-Doit-Pas-Prononcern-Le-Nom: “He-who-
must-not-be-named”
• Comment t'appelles-tu?– “What’s your name?
•  Oui/Non/Si – “Yes/No”
• Poudlard: “Hogwarts”
• . Comment allez-vous? – “How are you?”
•  Excusez-moi – “Excuse me”
•  Où sont les toilettes? – “Where are the toilets?”
• Moldu: “Muggle”
• Tu as besoin de te calmer: “ You need to calm down”
Music
The music of France reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field
of classical music, France has produced several
prominent romantic composers, while folk and popular music
have seen the rise of the chanson and cabaret style
Here, we have a translated version of a well-known English song
into French.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cti0XvHo10s
Merci d'avoir regardé!

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