"The French lost the language war", argues John Kay. Do you agree?

Résumé du document

Language has become an important issue due to globalization. Previously if a person spoke only one language it did not matter much. However the situation is completely different in the modern world. Learning English has become mandatory for every individual to surive in the globalized world. John Kay, in this article argues that the French have lost the language war, which means that the French have lost their prominence to the English.

Extraits

[...] Did the French really loose the language war? I will try to point out how the French did not completely lose that war even though they may not have won. First of all, to appreciate a language's use, one has to look at where that language is spoken (as a primary or secondary tongue), where it is still taught. In the case of France, French is mainly spoken in France, parts of Belgium, in some African countries (former French colonies) and in Quebec. [...]

[...] French lost the language argues John Kay. Do you agree? Nowadays, language has become a more important issue because of the process of globalization. Back in the days is someone only spoke one language it not matter at all because it would only need that one anyway. Today that has greatly changed. The need has appeared for everyone that wants to live understanding our present world to understand English. In that sense John Kay argues in that article that French lost the language war”. [...]

[...] In the same way, a lot of French words are used in other languages, including English. For instance: rendez-vous, laissez faire, déjà vu, eau de toilette, these are examples that British citizens not speaking a word of French as we usually mean it will use and understand. Hence, French is indeed used and taught in many ways, sometimes one speaks French without knowing it. On the other hand, it is clear that French lost one part of the language war. [...]

[...] If a person wants to travel a lot all around the world, the best language to learn is English because it is the one that people to learn first after their mother tongue. French will not help in the same way. In that sense, French is kind of a luxury language, only people that can spare the time and money to learn it will, the priority to do so is less than for English. So to conclude, French is widely spoken in Europe and its influence is still significant but overall English has won the language war because it is used more and it has more functions than French. [...]